The Same Team
by Saffronica612
Summary: When a strange storm appears over Cyclonia, Cyclonis learns the worst: something strange, powerful, and not of the Atmos is attacking her. In order to save the entire Atmos and her empire, she and the Dark Ace must team up with the Storm Hawks. mult pairs
1. Knowledge

Disclaimer: I do not own the storm hawks, etc.

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There was something wrong in Cyclonia. A storm was brewing overhead, pitch black and bruised purple, lit up every other second by a flash of raw white power. Usually, Cyclonis loved the storms. This one, however, just felt wrong.

Cyclonis was intellectual though: one couldn't rule an empire on feelings. She knew for a fact that it was supposed to be hazy but clear skies that night, as she wished to charge her large collection of Lunar stones and update the Cyclonian star charts. The storm wasn't supposed to be there, and for some reason it was. Logically speaking, whoever created the storm—as it couldn't have occurred naturally—must have been powerful. This may as well have been a cover for a full-fronted attack on Cyclonia, but by whom? She knew that the Sky Knights had neither the power nor the organization to pull something together so quickly.

Knowledge was power. Knowledge over crystals let her beat nearly any enemy in a fight. Knowledge over allies let her manipulate them, expanding the Cyclonian empire. She was seated on a throne built on the power of knowledge. Right now, she knew nothing about the storm, only that it wasn't _right._ Stripped of her knowledge, stripped of her power, she became an insecure, nervous teen.

"Master, you summoned me?" The low voice of her most trusted servant, the Dark Ace, startled her. As much as she wanted to jump, or to whirl around to face him, she retained control. _Knowledge is power,_ she reminded herself. _As long as you seem to be in control, they believe you to be in control._

"This storm isn't natural," she replied nonchalantly. She was, after all, commenting on the weather. "I believe it's a cover for an assault on Cyclonia. I want the defensive shields warmed up, all backup power lines ready to go, and all Talons to their skimmers. I want every inch that can be watched to be watched: North, South, East, West, up, down. Until we know exactly what's happening, I want this treated as if it is a fight for the heart of Cyclonia itself. For all we know, it is." With that, she turned, sweeping past Dark Ace to the grand doors of the throne room.

"Where—" the Dark Ace began.

"I've got a bad feeling about this storm. I'm going to ready up my skimmer." The Dark Ace stood gaping, eyes wide with uncertainty. A threat great enough for the Master herself to lead the Talons in battle? Fearful crimson eyes met calm, composed violet. "If I'm not mistaken, you have orders to carry out, Dark Ace. Don't stand around gaping."

Master Cyclonis had set up a console with large crystal display screens and smaller crystal buttons. She was rapidly hitting the crystals as if typing an invisible message. Talons were scurrying around her, preparing their skimmers and weapons for the oncoming battle. The only problem was, as far as any Cyclonian could tell, there was nothing _to_ battle. Cyclonians were preparing rapidly for their unknown foe, fed by their fears.

The Dark Ace was a practical man. Give him something to fight, and he would fight it. He certainly didn't like waiting, or suspense. He stood awkwardly in a corner, his skimmer neat and ready, order amidst the chaos. He felt slightly silly, all this preparation for what seemed like nothing. Striding over to Master Cyclonis, he prepared to tell her that there was nothing to fight, it was just a storm.

He stopped behind her. He wasn't really sure why; for some strange reason, he just felt the need to stop. She was wearing purple and magenta battle armor with a matching cloak. Her armor was made of the finest leather, made by the best Cyclonian tailors, enchanted with crystals and who-knows-what, to be most efficient. It was also skin tight, showing off her beautiful petite figure. A cold shiver ran down Dark Ace's spine.

Like the storm, his thoughts presented a quandary: he somehow knew he shouldn't be thinking them about his Master, but he wasn't quite sure what they were. How can you stop that which does not exist? He raised his hand, banishing _all_ thoughts besides those of the upcoming battle, and tapped his Master on the shoulder to give his report. At least, he tried to.

A thin hand of the palest white snapped up and grabbed his hand, applying the slightest pressure. Flawless purple nails contrasted sharply to the stark white which clutched him. Without even turning around, Cyclonis spoke. "Don't even think about voicing your doubts to me, Dark Ace. We've just lost all long-range communications, switching to the crystal-powered radio system I created a few months ago. This confirms my suspicions; we're under attack."

_Knowledge is power._ He knew she probably had some perfectly reasonable explanation for knowing it was him, for knowing that he was going to tap him on the shoulder, such as his shadow, or the sound of his footsteps. Still, he would swear that all it took was one look of those violet eyes, and she could read your mind and look into your soul. _Knowledge is power_. She was Master Cyclonis. She saw all, she knew all, she controlled all. And she was way out of his league.

KABOOM! Suddenly, a huge streak of lightening hit the top of the Cyclonian palace, taking out the power for a second. Cyclonis's fingers moved more rapidly, almost becoming a blur, as she brought the auxiliary systems on line. Then she saw something on a display, something no one else did. "First wave of Talons on their skimmers, circling. Second wave takes defensive positions with energy blasters from the platforms. Ravess, evacuate everyone else down to the defensive bunkers underneath the Wasteland. You're in charge, and you're not to come out for any reason until contacted by me. When everyone is evacuated, the second wave goes, then the first. Move, NOW!" She stalked to her skimmer, only to find her way blocked by Dark Ace.

"What's happening?" he said, fear and anticipation in his voice in equal parts. "Who's attacking us?"

The look that Cyclonis gave him made him more scared than any unknown enemy could be. She just shrugged her shoulders, looking defeated. "I don't know."

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OK, this is my first fanfic ever, so please review, tell me if I should continue!


	2. Battle Against Shadows

Note from Author: Ok, I'm in school and all, so I wasn't really planning on updating every day, but I got so many positive reviews overnight (literally) that you guys have changed my opinion. Thanks to FamousFi, diehardstormhawksfan, aerrow454, Bergie. Also, and extra special thanks to AquaGrace for reaching out with a gesture of friendship! You guys are awesome!

I wanted to name my first chapter something along the lines of "Knowledge," but I'm not sure how well that worked out. This chapter is supposed to be called "Battle Against Shadows."

Oh, and I don't own the Storm Hawks, blah, blah, blah.

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Cyclonis was an evil genius, a planner, a schemer, and a manipulator. She took pride in her throne, and would not trade it for the world (No, she would use her throne to take over the world, but that's a different story.) Yet, there was something thrilling about flying smoothly through the cool evening air, hair whipping behind you, skimmer humming underneath you, the power of crystals at your beck and call to smite enemies that made her envy the Talons that got to do this every day.

The Dark Ace, too, was happy to be off the ground. Things were simpler when you were on your Skimmer, flying through the night air, ready to kick ass. The Dark Ace was in his element, and though he still didn't know what he was fighting, his blood was humming with the thrill of an oncoming battle. His crimson eyes glittered, and a scary grin lit up his face.

The Talons were less psyched then their leaders about flying into battle. True, they did this every day, and their Skimmers were not as elite, smooth, or fast as those of Dark Ace and Cyclonis. The real reason, however, was that the Talons were scared. They were thugs and bullies, hired because they were such, and underneath their evil swagger they were cowards.

Cyclonis lifted her head, her eyes half-closed, her silky black hair whipping behind her. She could feel the crystal power in the air. Lightening intensified overhead, striking in on itself, turning a deep red. Thunder boomed in a crescendo, gaining intensity until all felt the dire need to cover their ears. Then silence, blackness. For a brief second, all went still as the lightening stopped.

"And so it begins," whispered Cyclonis in dark adoration. She always appreciated good entrances, especially those of the villains.

The sky split open, a gaping hole appearing in the very fabric of the universe, with red lightning outlining the edges of the portal. Behind it was a dark, murky landscape. The Cyclonian battle force had half a second to stare into a parallel reality before what was attacking them came streaming out.

They were creatures of pure darkness and nightmares. They literally were giant shadows of a vague humanoid shape with flashes of grey energy that lit them up every second or so. They had long talon-like fingers with great black claws on the end. Their eyes glowed like the coals of a fire, evil, intelligent, _hungry._ They streamed from the portal, amorphous in shape, as their shadowy bodies billowed behind them.

The nightmare creatures fell upon the gaping Talons, half of which were too busy staring to react in any way. For those unfortunate one who didn't pull out, the shadows seemed to reach into them and suck out their very essence. All that were left was empty skin and bones, faces drawn in one last expression of horror.

Cyclonis felt, for the first time in awhile, like a little girl who had bitten off more than she could chew. She also felt extremely relieved that she hadn't been overreacting when she evacuated Cyclonia. Taking a deep breath, she slipped into the world of energy and began to blast crystal power at the beasts.

The tidal wave of shadow bore down on the Cyclonian palace. Barely able to stay alive, Talons quickly gave ground. It seemed as if the fortifications would be swarmed, until suddenly, the shadow beast in the lead hit a red wall of force.

Force field crystals were one of the inventions Cyclonis was most proud of. Basically, they were indestructible walls created from pure energy that simply stopped everything in its tracks. However, in the case of the shadow-beasts, not only were they stopped, but they also seemed to be destroyed by the crystal light.

_Crystal light. Knowledge is power._ Now that she knew how to defeat them, Cyclonis lost all fear. She yanked a handful of crystals from a pocket and started blasting walls of energy, trying not to hit her own troops.

The Talons also seemed to get the idea. On the landing platform, huge energy cannons were being shot. The Talons still in the air took out all crystal-powered weapons; the ones who just used the shooters on the skimmers quickly flew to the perimeter and began circling.

The battle was close. Cyclonis herself seemed to take out at least half of the shadow attack force, using her superior crystal skills. The Dark Ace had given in completely to his instincts; a few times he made impossible blocks to things behind him that he had no way of seeing. Fewer Talons were being lost.

Suddenly, the tides of the battle began turning. The shadows were pushing back, and more Talons were falling. Yet for each shadow killed there seemed to be two to replace it. Cyclonis realized in an instant what was happening—the blasts from the platform had stopped coming; Ravess was evacuating her artillery. She also understood with a chilling certainty that they couldn't open the force field for the soldiers in the air now, or Cyclonia would be overwhelmed. The only way to survive would be to kill them all.

The Talons were getting desperate. The shadows were surrounding them, cornering them, and taking them down one by one. Cyclonis was alone, surrounded by shadows that tried to stay out of blasting range. The Dark Ace, too, was completely flanked, but to him it was only more enemies to slash. Other squads of Talons, however, were not taking as well to being surrounded. They were losing, and all dying, by the shear force of numbers which the other side had.

Then, suddenly, salvation came. Ravess ordered all the lights to be turned on, full blast, in the palace. Light didn't seem to hurt the shadows, but it did make them flinch, slow them down, and give the Talons time to regroup. Hope renewed, the Talons all gathered for one more final assault. In their weakened state, the shadow-beasts couldn't fend it off.

The air was silent yet again, but for the hum of Skimmer engines.

Suddenly, as one, all the Talons began screaming in joy. Cyclonis, however, was more practical than optimistic. Her spine tingling, she kept her eyes peeled at the red portal above.

The second wave was a lot larger than the first.

Shadows poured out of the fissure in the sky in such great numbers that it became impossible to tell the individual shapes; it was just one great mass of darkness raining down. The Talons ceased to exist before they even realized what hit them.

The Dark Ace was a bit luckier—he had been flying on his own, so he was off to the side a bit. He was able to keep his wits about him, and, flipping over his skimmer in an impossible aerial whirl, dodged the great cloud of monsters. For the time being.

There were so many monsters around Cyclonis that she couldn't see any of the Cyclonian lights, just black, grey, and red ember eyes. She was able to keep the monsters at bay with her crystals, but just barely. There were simply too many of them.

_I need a more powerful crystal_, she though, glancing down at her pale, thin hands. Each had three powerful blasters of different types: Oblivions, Firebolts, Paralizers, Icers. _If I could combine all of them…but even with equipment, that would take time and research. You can't just combine stones on whims._ The shadows slowly gained ground, until they were forming a tight sphere with a one-foot radius from her skimmer.

_Might as well. I'm not going down without a fight, _she decided, then brought her two hands together above her head with a clash.

Cyclonis was a perfectionist. She liked to know exactly how to do something before attempting it. However, this was not time for second thoughts. She through all her will, all her energy, and all her mind-power into forcing the six stones together. For half a second, they resisted, then something caved and they merged, forming a super-stone.

Cyclonis raised the giant crystal above her head with the smile of victory on her face. She knew that the resulting energy blast was probably going to kill her, but at the moment her tired body was buzzing with power, and she didn't care. She through all the energy in herself, and in the crystal, into a desperate final blast.

Pure energy exploded from her with the force of a small nuclear bomb. The shock wave passed through shadow after shadow, evaporating them into dust, until the sky was clear yet again. Her vision was getting blurry, but she could see out of the corner of her eye that one skimmer had escaped: the Dark Ace. Glancing below her, she realized she was levitating, as her own skimmer had been completely annihilated in the impulsive, powerful blast. Gently, she brought the crystal down to her breast, where she cradled it. Then collapsed, starting to fall.

Any other pilot wouldn't have attempted such a stunt, and even if they did, would have crashed in the Wastelands. Still, the Dark Ace didn't hesitate to plunge after his Master's body, catching her with seconds to spare. His Master's violet eyes fluttered open, and she took short gasps, as if trying to stay conscious. "You must…" she wheezed. "Need help." Suddenly she started coughing, and it took a second to regain her breath. "Condor. Storm Hawks. They'll help us. Please." Her violet eyes fluttered open once more, then the world went black.

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Well, there it is, my second chapter (ever)! I hope you guys like it! Please review—I'm so excited that I actually got review for the first chapter that I'm already starting on the third, so it may be up tonight!


	3. On the Condor

Author's note: Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! This is the third installment of my first ever fanfic, and because of you amazing people who actually take three seconds to REVIEW!, I'm excited enough to try to write a chapter every day or two, despite homework. Ok, so I hope you enjoy, and if you do, tell me, please!

I'm-getting-really-tired-of-typing-this-disclaimer-I-don't-own-the-Storm-Hawks! Ok, on with the story!

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The Condor had been filled with gloom for the past three days. As of now, everyone was gathered on the main deck, firstly to keep Stork company and secondly because they had nothing better to do.

Stork was grumbling to himself about how he wished that doom and certain death had gotten them all, because he bet it would be less boring. It was a testament to how fed up of doing nothing everyone was that no one contradicted him.

Finn was reading a dry looking book on politics, his eyes going over the same spot on the page again and again. Junko was cleaning the pipes again, but for once, there were no leaks. There wasn't even a spot of dirt.

Piper had set up a miniature crystal lab on a desk and was examining a light blue crystal under a microscope. Aerrow just sat on the couch bored, not even pretending he had something to do. Radar slept next to him.

Suddenly, Piper stood up and slammed her chair in. "It's no good," she cried. "This is so stupid. I've stared at this freakin' crystal for six hours, and it's not getting more interesting."

Aerrow quickly moved next to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. Piper relaxed into him, grateful for his kind gesture. It was the little things like these that made Aerrow such a wonderful boyfriend. "Piper," he whispered into her ear. "We're all just as bored. Who would have thought that we'd actually miss the Cyclonians." Piper rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. Aerrow could always cheer her up.

Finn stopped pretending to read and butted into the conversation. "Yay, the Cyclonians have all gone. What I don't get is why we're sitting around the ship when we should be on Terra Tropica, vacationing!" he whined.

Piper smiled, and patiently explained, "It's the fact that they've disappeared, all the Cyclonians and all of their conquered terras. We can't even see what's going on because we're stopped by crystal energy fields. We've also lost all communications with them."

Junko, listening in, frowned. "Wait a second, my pen pal is from Terra Neon, not Cyclonia, right?" he asked, worried.

Piper laughed. "I mean that we've received no reports from any Sky Knights in Cyclonian territory for three days. Also, any bugs we've placed in Cyclonian communication lines have stopped broadcasting to us." She signed. "We don't know if it's a trick, or some new tactic, or some special attack, so we have to stay on alert. AKA, no vacation, Finn." Finn made a face. "For once, I'm in complete agreement with you, this is just stupid."

Finn started nodding, then shook his head. "Umm…politically, it's not," he said. "Have you seen how fed up we've gotten with everything, especially each other, with no Cyclonians to fight? We're best friends, practically family. Can you think of how quickly all the alliances between terras will collapse without a common enemy? And also, our economies are geared towards war…Skimmers equipped with weapons, crystal weapons, ships always protected…without Cyclonia, we're looking at a complete economic catastrophe." Everyone just stared at Finn with shell-shocked expressions on their face.

"Where…I mean, who told…when…" Aerrow managed to stutter.

Finn just held up his politics book.

"Since when do you read politics?" Aerrow muttered.

"Since _Starling_ decided to lend him the book, and he was too much of a sissy to tell her that any of her interests are dry and boring," Piper put in, a malicious glint in her eye. Finn had teased her for weeks about Aerrow, and now she was ready to get him back.

"This has nothing to do with Starling!" he snapped back, flustered. "Politics is very…not lame. And don't you dare insult her interests!" He snapped the book shut and stormed off to the hanger bay, probably to clean his Skimmer up for the hundredth time. Junko hurried after him, trying to calm him down.

Piper sighed, and took Finn's spot on the couch, her good mood from teasing Finn already worn off. "Piper," Aerrow said, "Is something wrong? Besides being dead bored?"

Piper looked for a second as if she were going to cry, then she angrily wiped her eyes. "I was just…a bit worried, no not worried, I just wondered what happened to, well you know—_her._" Aerrow nodded, understanding at once. He had liked Lark, and was devastated just like Piper when he found out she was really Master Cyclonis. However, he was over it quickly. Sometimes he was amazed at how much Piper still cared about her best friend, her archenemy.

"You have such a loving heart," Aerrow whispered, stroking her navy blue hair. "That's one of the things I love so much about you." He leaned in closer, then their lips were touching, and they were sharing a kiss.

"Um, guys?" Stork looked even more awkward than usual. One eye was twitching. "Sorry to interrupt the love fest, but we've got something on the radar. A single Cyclonian Skimmer, by the looks of it, headed straight for us."

Aerrow quickly broke away, and hurried to the intercom. "Everyone on their skimmers. I want Junko and Piper to circle the ship, make sure there are no sneak attacks. Finn, you cover me from a distance. I'll go in, see who it is, what they want."

"We're gonna kick ass, Tcha-cha!" came a call from the hanger bay.

Aerrow looked at Piper. She had a disappointed expression on her face. "I thought you wanted _something_ to do," he said, confused.

"I know, but this isn't even going to last a minute. I mean, could there have been at least three Talons? Is that to much to ask for?"

Aerrow shook his head and rubbed his eyes. He knew what he thought he was seeing, but it couldn't be true. He would recognize the Dark Ace anywhere, but today he wasn't sure. The Dark Ace looked ragged, like he hadn't eaten or slept well in days. Also, instead of standing with his red sword blazing, or even blasting, he was just sitting, looking subdued, carrying some sort of grey sack.

Suspecting a trick, Aerrow whipped both plasma daggers out as he leaped onto the wing of the Cyclonian's skimmer, doing a flip on the way for Piper's sake. It was definitely the Dark Ace, but for some strange reason he barely reacted. Dark Ace looked up, and Aerrow saw why.

There was something about his facial expression, maybe the utter hopelessness or the shear devastation, that stopped Aerrow in his tracks. "What—" before Aerrow could even finish his question, Ace raised his far arm a bit, just so that the head resting on it was showing.

There was no sack. It was Master Cyclonis.

She looked absolutely horrible. Her skin was so pale it was half-translucent, and thin veins were showing through. Her silky hair hung limp. She was covered in a pale sheen of sweat. Besides the short, irregular gasps for air, there was no indication that she was still alive at all.

"My god," Aerrow whispered. He didn't know who looked worse: the unconscious and dying Master or the near hysterical, exhausted servant.

"We need your help," the Dark Ace begged. Before, he would have demanded it with a cocky smirk. Now, he just looked vulnerable. "Please."

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There you have it! Chapter Three! How do you like it? I think all the pairings are hinted at in this chapter (besides MCxDA, which was in Ch1). Anyway, please send me feedback! A happy author is one who will write a lot more!


	4. Allies?

Author's note: I want to thank Love Shall Never Die, Eddie, Daniel, Tege, and Helliexx for all your reviews. You really made my day, and make writing worth it. You guys are the best! Hey, if anyone has a question, comment, likes the story, or doesn't like it, please tell me! I really want to hear! (I really don't see why all the authors have to try so hard to get reviews. I mean, seriously, just three seconds. All you have to do is write "hi." Is it really that hard?)

Also, if anyone can think of a less boring way to state that-- _I do not own the Storm Hawks_—I totally owe you. Please tell me and I'll use it on my next chapter!

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Back on the Condor, everyone was happy that they finally had something to do. Stork had anchored the ship and proceeded to completely booby-trap his room, positive their Cyclonian "guests" were there because they wanted to slit everyone's throat as they slept. Junko and Finn were cleaning out and repainting the largest bedroom; the guest bedroom was also straightened up. Piper was hovering over her friend/enemy, doing all she could to help make her better. The Dark Ace sat nervously in the corner, refusing to leave his Master's side, and Aerrow guarded him.

"She's stabilized," Piper told a very worried-looking Dark Ace. "She's not fully healed, but she'll recover. She's not gonna die. She'll be up—probably not about, but up—by dinner tonight." The Dark Ace visibly relaxed. As Piper bustled, setting up some sort of IV, except with crystals instead of liquid, Aerrow tried to extract all information possible from Dark Ace.

"What's been going on in Cyclonian territory? Where is everyone? What in the world happened?"

"I'm probably not the best one to explain this to you—you'll get more accurate, detailed information from her," he said, shrugging in the direction of his Master's body. "Three days ago, there was a weird storm over Cyclonia. Something weird happened with the lightening, and this ghost-shadow army appeared from the sky and killed us all." Aerrow raised a skeptic eyebrow.

"See the crystal she's been clutching?" Dark Ace continued. Piper bent over Cyclonis's body, prying the large stone from her hands. She turned it over, examining it.

"This is one of the most powerful crystals I've ever seen," she mused. "Way more energy than the Aurora Stone had. It's weird, though—it seems to have multiple functions, I've never seen a crystal like that before. She probably used its full power, right?" The Dark Ace nodded. "That's probably what's sent her into the coma. It's interesting, I would say that this crystal is impossible to make, but…here it is."

The Dark Ace sighed. "I'm not sure if using it was what got her like this," he said. "I think it might have been making it."

Piper's eyes glinted. "Are you implying what I think you are?" she breathed. "Because that is impossible-amazing-can't happen-OMG-what-are-we-going-to-do-when-you're-the-enemy-again."

Aerrow looked confused. "Ok, will someone explain two things to me?" he asked. "First, we never stopped being enemies. We're just the good guys who lent you a hand. That doesn't make you on our team. Second, what is this about the crystal that I don't understand. We already know Cyclonis makes crystals!"

Piper spoke first. "If this shadow-army is real—which we know it is, or Cyclonis wouldn't be like this—we're going to need all the help we can get. Including _Cyclonian_ help."

The Dark Ace's eyes glittered with gratitude. "Thank you," he whispered. "We don't deserve that." He coughed, then continued in a louder voice, "As for your second question, yes, Master Cyclonis does spend a lot of time practicing the fine art of Crystal Science, but combining crystals has only ever been done with two crystals, using a special machine. Master used a grand total of six crystals, and she combined them with sheer willpower, no help from machines." There was silence for a second as what the Dark Ace said sunk in.

Aerrow coughed. "So, you mean, Cyclonis has new crystal powers?" He struggled for a minute to find the bright side. "Well, this shadow army seems pretty powerful, if it could take out all of Cyclonia in one battle. This is a good thing—it might be the difference between the survival of the Atmos and all of our deaths. And, maybe, after, we'll all be good enough friends that we won't want to fight anymore?" He smiled hopefully at the Dark Ace.

Ace half-heartedly returned the smile, but he had lost too much of his innocence, his idealism, to share Aerrow's hope. The three sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, then Piper moved towards the door.

"I'm going to go check on the others. Aerrow, why don't you go find Stork and tell him to set course for Atmosia; the Sky Knight Council must be informed of this threat at once. Dark Ace…I could show you to your room if you want to get some sleep…" The Dark Ace shook his head before she could finish the offer.

"My place is by my Master's side," he said. "I'm not leaving until she orders me to."

Piper shrugged, not wanting to upset the fragile thread of peace they had created, and silently exited the room with Aerrow, leaving the Dark Ace in his vigil.

She regained consciousness at exactly 4:31 in the afternoon. She could feel from the humming of engines underneath her and the fact she was in a clean bed that she was on the Condor. She knew, logically speaking, that the Dark Ace must have explained their situation, or she would be waking up in a cell. She knew that the first thing the Storm Hawks would do was plot a course for Atmosia, due north. From the angle the sun slanted across her cheek, she knew the time. Simple, really. Knowledge was power.

She took a bit of time to collect her thoughts, plan what to do next. Then she carefully opened her eyes, observing her surroundings. She had seen the sick bay on schematics, and briefly when she had needed a crystal that Aerrow had. Now, however, she was given a chance to truly observe it.

She was in a small little bed, with a cute table that had a glass of water. There was an IV connected to her arm, sending her a steady supply of crystal energy. There was one armchair in the corner, which held Dark Ace, who was slumbering peacefully. She felt her pulse quicken at the sight of him, waiting by her sickbed. He barely looked better than herself, but here he was, trying to take care of her. How…sweet, heartwarming. Words that she'd never thought could apply to her life.

She stirred, pushing herself into an upright sitting position. The Dark Ace's eyes flashed open.

"Master!" Her rushed over to her side. "I'm so sorry I fell asleep. It was weak of me." He looked up, expecting to see hate, or even worse, a blank wall devoid of all emotion in her deep violet eyes. Instead, he saw something he had never seen before: warmth.

"You saved my life, Ace," she whispered, in a raspy voice. "Then you get us to the Condor, and somehow convince them to help us. But that's not all. You look like crap, but I'll bet you've been sitting in that chair all day, waiting for me to wake. I couldn't ask for better loyalty or service." Then she did something that surprised him even more. "Thank you," she said.

He stood back, shocked. His Master usually only gave orders, or occasionally commented, "Good." He had never seen her display such depth, such gratitude.

Then just as suddenly as the warmth had come, it disappeared again behind the wall of blankness. Cyclonis placed her arms behind her, and with a lot of effort, hauled herself up to a sitting position.

"What are you doing?" Dark Ace asked.

"What does it look like?" she snapped back. "I don't want to be stuck in the infirmary. I'm going to the bridge of the ship, where everything's happening."

The Dark Ace looked at her, as if considering how stubborn she was going to be on this one. Her determination won out in his mind, as he reached down and picked her up, hugging her to his chest.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" Cyclonis hissed, her eyes shooting daggers. "I will not show any weakness! I am not being carried! You can put me down this instant, Dark Ace."

The Dark Ace smiled, showing a surprising amount of confidence for being on the receiving end of his Master's wrath. "You've been in a coma for nearly four days, so I'll forgive you for being slightly groggy and not thinking this through. Number One: It's a great honor to be carried by me. I don't just carry anyone. Number Two: You're just going to hurt yourself. It's your pride speaking, not your mind. Number Three: You really think you're not gonna look weak if you go out there and collapse? Now, is that enough, or do I need to come up with some more reasons?"

Cyclonis shook her head. "You win, this time." Her cheeks colored, turning the palest of pinks. "You can carry me." And so in that strange embrace, Master and servant proceeded to the hull of the ship.

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There was my Chapter Four—how cute are Cyclonis and Dark Ace together? Anyway, little warning to the readers who like hard-core action: the next couple chapters will have a bit more of the romantic fluff, but I promise they'll still be a bit exciting ;-). Anyway, you know what I'm going to say: Review, Review, and Review!


	5. Allies? Part 2

Author's Note: Ok, so for all the awesome people who reviewed (Bergie, Zapwing, FamousFi), you guys are getting two chapters today! Thanks for reading!

I do not own the Storm Hawks.

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The entire Storm Hawks squad was on the bridge of the ship. Some (well, Aerrow, Piper, and Junko) were trying to look welcoming. Other expressions ranged from weirded out (Finn) to flat-out hostile (Stork). Stork stood at the helm, steering. Finn and Junk had taken the armchairs. Piper and Aerrow shared one couch, while Cyclonis sat on Dark Ace's lap on the other one.

"This is so weird, what are we going to do?" grumbled Finn, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Finn!" Piper said. "I've already explained this to you. Lark—" Cyclonis gave a weird shudder at her real name "—and Ace are staying with us as honorary Storm Hawks, until we sort out this evil-shadows-who-want-to-kill-everything problem. We're sharing training techniques, crystal information, and everything! As of now, we're going to Atmosia to explain the special situation to the Sky Knight Council. Any questions?" She giggled, smiling hopefully at Cyclonis. "I'm not sure how much of that got through that thick skull of his! Boys," she fake-whispered.

Cyclonis flashed back a small, yet genuine, smile. Aerrow playfully punched Piper in the arm. "Come on, not all boys are bad!" he laughed.

"I know one or two that are OK," Piper teased back.

"I was talking about the SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS!" Finn butted in. "The guest room is right next to my room!" He glanced nervously at Dark Ace.

"I don't see how that's going to be a problem, as Dark Ace and I are staying in the room right above the deck," Cyclonis smirked.

Aerrow looked confused. "You're rooming together? But what about the guest—"

"Three," interrupted the young empress, "Two, One, and here's Starling."

"Condor, come in. Starling of the Interceptors requesting landing privileges immediately," came a static-filled yet familiar voice over the intercom. Cyclonis's smile widened.

"Yeah, come quickly. We've got a long, weird story to tell you," Aerrow radioed back quickly, then he hurried to the hanger bay to welcome her.

Piper looked at Cyclonis quizzically. "And you knew this because?"

_My intelligence reports told me that she was in Cyclonian territory spying. It would take approximately four days to fly from her position to here. I could hear her skimmer engines as we spoke. _Cyclonis took a deep breath, considering how to reply. _Knowledge is power._ "I'm Master Cyclonis," she finally said. "It's my job to know everything."

Starling entered the room so wrapped up in her conversation with Aerrow that she didn't notice the extra guests at first. "Completely deserted, protected by force shields, so it's impossible to try to find out what's happened—"

"Um, Starling, there's—" Aerrow tried to interrupt.

"—saw flashed of light four nights ago, near the Cyclonian palace itself—"

"Hello, Starling. Long time no see." The cool voice of Master Cyclonis effectively halted Starling's ramble.

Starling whipped her purple nunchucks out, pointing them at the two Cyclonians. The Dark Ace gracefully removed his sword and powered it up without disrupting his lap-passenger.

"Stop!" Finn jumped between the two warriors. "Nobody is fighting. Could we just all listen here?"

"I am defending my liege against the unprovoked threat of attack," the Dark Ace said, smug. "I don't want to fight, but I'm not letting Master Cyclonis get hurt."

"Startling, could you please stand down until you've at least heard their story?" Aerrow suggested.

Starling looked stunned. "How could you take their side?" she stammered. "They're the _bad_ _guys_…and, you're…how could you defend them over me?"

"One of the largest causes of war is miscommunication." Starling look startled as Finn spoke to her. "I should know, there was an entire chapter on it in your book."

Starling lowered her weapon slightly, a quizzical smile on her face. "You actually read it?" she said.

"Yeah—well, I skipped the chapter on the Code of the Rex Guardians, I don't see how anyone can stand to read that stuff—but that's not the point. The point is, we need your help, but we need you to listen first…"

By the time they had finished explaining what happened to Starling, everyone had taken a seat and there was a pot of tea being passed around. Piper, Cyclonis, Junko, Starling, and Finn (though the last only because it was Starling who offered it to him) all sipped cups of the warm brew.

"Gee, what a mess we're in now," Starling commented. "I doubt the Atmos has been in this much danger since that Storm Engine fiasco."

For some reason, both Dark Ace and Cyclonis found this hilarious. Unfortunately, she had just taken a sip of her tea, and was forced to cough it back into her cup amidst giggles.

"What am I missing here?" asked Piper.

"You all thought that it was such a horrible thing, that it was going to destroy you all—it wasn't even supposed to work in the first place!" Cyclonis panted. "And you celebrated, thought you were such great Sky Knights—the only thing you did was cheat Starling out of the credit of destroying it!"

"Such an evil plan," the Dark Ace cackled.

Stork jumped. "Starling's working for the Cyclonians?" he shouted, twitching.

It only made Cyclonis laugh harder. "No! That's the funny part. No offense or anything, but you thought you were so smart infiltrating the Talons—I hired you because I needed a Sky Knight to sabotage our plans!"

"I don't get it," Aerrow said, looking confused. "You wanted your great plan to be ruined? That storm destroyed half the palace!"

Cyclonis sobered up enough to answer his question. "That was actually one of the reasons. The palace was getting old, and I needed it to be demolished before I could rebuild it, more architecturally sound and defendable. But I mean, think about it: why would I want to rule a destroyed Atmos? I need people to be able to rule people! And do you really think you could have stormed my fortress, gotten past all my guards, and ruined my plans so easily? Come on!"

"I can't believe it—so all the Talons knew I was a Sky Knight?" squeaked Starling, looking devastated.

"Only me. I told the Dark Ace afterwards, when it was all done. It was a pretty good disguise, but I knew you were coming. I set it up so you would intercept the plans for the Storm Engine. You were my choice because I thought there was the greatest chance you'd try to stop me yourself without going for others to help."

"It still seems like a lot of time and effort for some remodeling," persisted Aerrow.

"It wasn't just remodeling. Also, we destroyed the symbol of Atmosian power, and sent a message of what a great threat we were. But the main reason was…do you remember when the throne room was collapsing, and the ceiling was falling in?"

Aerrow shuddered. "How could I forget?"

"Do you remember what happened, or were you too busy getting out of there?"

Aerrow scrunched up his eyes. "Not really," he said.

"You were under a patch of ceiling that fell," Starling voiced, "and the Dark Ace jumped in front of you, nearly dying to save you."

Everyone was silent for a minute. Finally, Piper spoke. "You mean, the Storm Engine wasn't a plan to take over the Atmos? It was a test? For Dark Ace?"

Dark Ace nodded. "You think this is surprising, you should guess how I felt when she decided to tell me."

Cyclonis looked sheepish. "The Dark Ace was always a bit of a mystery—I mean, the Cyclonian who was a Sky Knight—and I needed to know I could trust him. I wasn't going to tell him, but then I felt so guilty, him having risked his life and all and he didn't even know why…"

"Oh, so you can feel guilty? Good to know there's a part of you that's human underneath," Starling interjected coolly.

The Cyclonian pair looked at each other and burst out laughing. "I'm going to go get my stuff from my skimmer," Starling said quickly before another embarrassing story could be told. "I'll make dinner tonight." Finn hurried off after her to help.

"Ok, well this is a nice reunion and all," Stork said in his nasally voice, "but we've all got work to do. You guys can sit around if you want, but I'm going to go steer the ship."

Life was back to normal. Well, as normal as you got on the Condor.

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Hahahahaha, I feel so evil—you'll hear what embarrassing thing happened to Starling later on! I'm wondering: how long do you people want this story to be? As of now, I'm just writing and writing, but do you guys feel it's dragging on, or do you want me to make it super long, like a short book? I love writing this, so I don't care either way (I'd probably prefer the second option, this is so much fun!) Anyway, you know how to tell me your feedback: REVIEW!


	6. Best Friends

Author's note: Ok, I've decided to change things up a bit, write the disclaimer first: I do not own the Storm Hawks (can you tell how fed up with this I'm getting?)

I want to thank Helliexx, Eddie, Love Shall Never Die, Tege, LethoBion, Bergie, and Zapwing for reviewing since I posted the last chapter. School's in full swing, so it's because of you caring, considerate, wonderful reviewers that you're getting chapters every day. Also, you can thank the schedule lady—with a free period and a "Preps" (aka Free) period every day, I can get all my homework done and still write!

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The Dark Ace deposited a curious and slightly nervous Master Cyclonis in Piper's rooms. Piper either didn't notice, or chose not to notice, the tension in her guest. "I mean, I know you've seen my lab and all before, but it's really been cleaned up nicely now! I mean, that's what happens when you have three days with absolutely nothing to do! See, the slime explosion is all gone, and…" she babbled excitedly.

Cyclonis wasn't exactly sure what she was doing here. She had ordered the Dark Ace to get some rest, and he had refused unless someone agreed to baby-sit her. She didn't like it, but she'd agreed anyway. The Dark Ace had done so much for her, and if it would make him sleep easier, fine.

She was a bit surprised, however, when Piper immediately requested her. Was this some sort of interrogation? Did she want to gloat in victory over her old archenemy? Wondering if she was being paranoid, she quietly grabbed the first crystal she could find off the desk while Piper was distracted. A Paralyzer: not her first choice of weapon, but it would take an enemy out.

Piper turned around. She had stopped talking; she seemed to realize that her guest wasn't listening to a word she said. Piper made a face. "You can put the crystal down, you know," she said. Cyclonis looked at her, betraying no emotion, as if she had not spoken at all. "I'm not here to interrogate you. I just wanted to talk." This time, Cyclonis did respond, raising an eyebrow. Piper sighed. "You know, like we're just best friends again."

"Like I haven't been trying to kill you for the past year and I'm not going to start trying to kill you again as soon as this is over?" Cyclonis wondered out loud.

"Well, you could put it like that," Piper said, looking awkward. "Or you could say that every girl needs a best friend, and, well, right now you are mine."

Cyclonis looked at the hopeful eyes of the girl in front of her. She could tell that Piper honestly thought that they could just be buddies for a week, then go back to hating each other. Was she really that naïve? Didn't she know how much it hurt to break off their friendship after just a few hours? Did she really think that either of their hearts could survive a second goodbye? Cyclonis built walls in her heart, because, as wonderful as it was to let someone in, it only hurt all the worse when they betrayed you.

Piper saw the internal struggle that was going on in her friend's eyes. "Please," she whispered. "I just want my friend back, Lark."

The use of her real name did it—it melted the ice in Cyclonis's heart. Eyes wide, she slowly, carefully placed the crystal back down on the desk.

Piper laughed. "So you did have a crystal after all," she said. "You know, you're more paranoid than Stork!"

Cyclonis couldn't help but giggle back. "Hey, I don't worry about mind worms, I just deal with an assassination attempt every other week." Piper looked skeptical. "We _are_ the bad guys," Cyclonis reminded her.

"Well, I'm getting to work on this crystal of yours. I was going to examine it, but it would save me some time if you'd tell me—"

"Sure," Cyclonis cut in, smiling. "Two Oblivion stones, one Firebolt, one Icer, and two Paralyzers. They were the stones I had in my hand when I decided to try to combine them all."

"Do—"

"Nah," Cyclonis interrupted again. "I'm nearly positive that it's not a part of the Binding. It feels…way different. Also, if it were, I'm sure I would have come across it in one of the ancient texts."

"How—"

"I'm not reading you're mind. You're my best friend; I know how you think. Plus, those are the most logical questions to ask."

Piper giggled. "Forgive me if I don't believe you," she said. "Anyway, I've never heard of any of those stones being combined before…I'm going to check it out under the microscope, see if I can find the full properties."

"Just be careful," Cyclonis warned. "This thing took out everything in a 500 foot radius, just turned it all to dust, the last time I used it." Piper glanced at her friend, then gulped, as seeing she was completely serious.

"Be careful. Check!" she said.

For a few minutes, the girls just enjoyed the silence. Cyclonis closed her eyes, resting, thinking over the events of the past few days and trying desperately to make them make sense. She wasn't sure which was the most weird: her empire under attack by strange evil shadows, weird new powers over crystals that she had never had before, or the fact that the Storm Hawks accepted her right away, like family. Piper hummed as she examined the huge crystal, noting the unusual color, structure, and size, and referencing it in her notes. She was so absorbed in her work that she jumped when Cyclonis made a sound:

"Oh no!"

"What is it?" Piper asked, worry etched into her face.

"My nails!" she moaned. "My pinky is chipped. And all my violet polish is in the palace."

Piper laughed. "You got me worried!" she said. "I thought it was a real emergency."

"This _is_ a real emergency," Cyclonis snapped back, smiling. "Oh, what am I going to do?"

"Well, I have purple, but it has sparkles in it," Piper offered.

Cyclonis looked torn. Piper had the color she needed—but "sparkles" and "evil empress" didn't really go together.

"Purple nail polish?" she asked, stalling for time. "I really don't see purple as your color."

"It's not," Piper replied frankly. "I missed you so much, and I started having crazy fantasies that you would come visit me and we could paint our nails together. They were out of plain purple in the store."

Cyclonis looked shocked, then grateful. "Purple with sparkles it is," she said, "and I'll never wear another shade." Piper smiled and brought remover, cotton balls, and the little jar of nail polish over, then returned to examining her crystal.

"So, you and Aerrow are a thing?" Cyclonis asked innocently.

Piper shot her a look. "Do you miss anything?" she asked back.

Cyclonis shook her head. "Well, if I miss it, I wouldn't know I missed it…Anyway, it was kind of obvious, even when I first met you he seemed to really like you. Then when I needed that crystal, you risked your life to protect him. You keep looking at him. A blind person could see you're head over heels for him."

"Yeah," Piper replied. "He's the best boyfriend ever."

"Then Finn—he's after Starling, isn't he?" Cyclonis asked.

"How could you tell?" Piper wondered.

"Well, Starling is pretty; it was only a matter of time before he noticed she was a girl. And the way he reacted when she and Dark Ace started threatening each other. He looked like he was ready to jump between them, which is abnormal Finn behavior."

"Yeah," Piper giggled. "We found out when he started reading politics. Don't ask."

Piper finished looking at the crystal and locked it in a secure chest, then she grabbed a jar and clear-coat with sparkled and plopped down next to Cyclonis. "So, what's the love life like in Cyclonia?" she teased. "Has the future ruler of the Atmos scored a boyfriend yet?"

"You really think I'm going to rule the Atmos one day?" Cyclonis asked.

"That's changing the subject. But I think you have a fair chance, you already rule about a fourth of it." Piper grinned evilly. "Ok, I answered your question, you answer mine."

"No," Cyclonis admitted. "I mean, there's not that many available guys. All the Talons can only follow orders and all, plus they're so weak, mentally and physically. And Snipe is a complete idiot, not to mention I'd never hear the end of it from Ravess."

"There's the Dark Ace," Piper suggested innocently. "He's a great fighter, he's very smart, he's extremely loyal. Plus, you have to admit, he is kind of cute, in an evil way!"

"Cute?" Cyclonis said, blowing on her done nails. "The Dark Ace? Are you serious? If he hears you say that you're dead!"

"Hears who say what?" said the Dark Ace, walking in. Aerrow had sent him to tell the girls that dinner was ready. He looked at the two females sitting on the bed, surrounded by stuff for their nails. They couldn't have been more different: warm chocolate skin again palest white, bright golden eyes against shaded violet, but when they both gave him the same look, then each other the same look, then burst out laughing at the same time, he was positive they could be sisters.


	7. Cyclonian SnuggleBunnies

Author's note: This chapter is dedicated to Helliexx, Tege, and Bergie who also think that Cyclonis and Dark Ace are cute together. You rock!

Disclaimer: I-ay o-day ot-nay n-oway e-thay orm-Stay awks-Hay.

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Dinner was a rather pleasant affair, made more enjoyable than usual by the fact that Starling could actually cook. However, it had been a long day for everyone, and they all decided to retire to theirs rooms early.

There was an awkward silence in the room Cyclonis and Dark Ace were sharing. Cyclonis lay sprawled on the bed, and Dark Ace sat in an armchair. Finally, Dark Ace put bluntly that which was on both of their minds.

"There's only one bed."

"I can see that," Cyclonis replied haughtily. "What do you think we should do about it?"

"Well," he replied evenly, "we could always share."

"You don't have an ulterior motive, do you?" Cyclonis questioned.

"What do you mean?" he said, confused.

"Dark Ace," Cyclonis said teasingly, "suggesting to _sleep_ with his Master? Oh, what would they say back on Cyclonia?"

The Dark Ace was not easily embarrassed. He shrugged. "That's not what I meant. I mean, you're a bit young to be thinking about those kinds of things, Master."

Cyclonis turned pink. The blush lit up her pale face, showing off her delicate cheekbones. "If you're uncomfortable, I could always sleep on the floor," he continued.

"Why not?" Cyclonis said, surprising both herself and Dark Ace. "Not the sleeping on the floor, I mean. It is a big bed. I don't see a reason against sharing. Speaking of sharing, Piper said she'd lend me her shower; I feel really dirty. Make yourself at home." She quickly left the room before she could embarrass herself more.

After a long, hot shower, Cyclonis was feeling a bit more like herself. Her hair was clean, and the dirt and grime from the battle had been washed away. She was clothed in a long shirt and some sweatpants, both too big for her, making her look even more small and fragile. She stumbled back to her room, yawning, to find a clean Dark Ace in blue pajamas.

"At least yours fit," she grumbled to him. Best friends as she and Piper might be, Cyclonis was petite, to the extreme. "They were her smallest pajamas, don't even fit her anymore!"

"But blue isn't my color!" The Dark Ace complained in a mock-serious tone. "I think they clash with my eyes, don't you?" He twirled around as if modeling the pajamas. Cyclonis laughed, forgetting her annoyance over being so small.

The Empress of Cyclonia stretched, yawning, looking for a moment like a tired kitten. Then, she scampered into the bed. The Dark Ace went to the light switch, turned it off, then crawled into bed too.

It was a strange feeling, knowing that someone was sleeping next to you but being completely unable to see them. Cyclonis laid on her side, her back to Dark Ace. She had been so tired before, and had just wanted to sleep, but now, in the darkness, the world seemed different.

She was given time to think, to think about things she usually hid in the back of her mind. Yet in the darkness, all the walls she had built, all the masks she had worn, were stripped down to nothing. She felt as if her soul was naked.

Piper, her arch nemesis. Piper, her best friend. Piper was smart, accepted, and skilled. She had also welcomed Cyclonis with open arms and open heart. Did this mean that it was possible to love and be strong? But Piper didn't have an empire to rule.

How did Piper do it? How did she turn Cyclonis so weak, so confused, without even trying? Her thoughts began to spiral back towards their conversation. _"…love life…Cyclonia…Has the future ruler of the Atmos scored a boyfriend yet?"_

The Dark Ace. Her thoughts were drawn to him immediately. She could almost feel the heat radiating off of his resting form. She had too much responsibilities, too many better things to do, than to think about boys at all. Now the seed was planted in her brain.

She'd never considered the Dark Ace to be more than her most trusted fighter and commander. She knew he risked his life for her, multiple times, but why? Was it because she was his Master? Was it because he thought it was easier to be the favored servant of her than who-knows-what in the ensuing chaos if the Master died without a heir? Was he just loyal inside?

Was it for fame? Was it for riches? Was it for glory? Was it for power? Was it out of fear? Or, dare she think it, out of love?

She began to tremble. She felt as if she were coming apart inside, being stripped down to the core, and it were these poisonous thoughts that were destroying the stitches which held her together so long. She shook harder, but still did not lose the battle against tears.

Suddenly, a warm, rough hand was on her shoulder. She froze. Silence. _The Dark Ace was comforting her._ He cared. He cared enough to worry about her when she couldn't fall asleep. He cared enough to comfort her when her world was falling apart. The kindness sent her over the verge to tears.

She let it all out: a deluge from all the hurts and fears that she had kept bottled in for far too long. She was just a child, so why couldn't she have had a happy childhood? She lived through the death of her mother and father without shedding a single tear. She had been treated like an adult from the moment she said her first word, at six months, and had been expected to act like one.

The weight of managing an entire empire, and fulfilling a dream of world domination that had never been hers to begin with, had rested for too long on her fragile shoulders. Now, in the dark on her enemies'—no, her friends' ship, she felt it all fall apart.

The tears were falling like rain. Now that they had been let out, they showed no sign of stopping.

All this time, he was patting her on the back, rubbing her, offering his comfort. "It's okay," he said in his low, soothing voice. "Just cry. Let it all out. It's not a weakness to have feeling. You're fine. You'll be stronger in the end, in spite of it."

Finally, the tears dried, and silence filled the room for a second.

"I'm sorry," whispered Cyclonis in a small voice.

"For what?" replied the Dark Ace. "That you had the strength to admit that you're not perfect."

"I should be," Cyclonis replied, sniffling. "I should be. I can be a better ruler. But I'm just so lost. I don't know what to do, and I don't know what's happening, and…"

"Shh," Ace murmured. "You're fine just the way you are. You're beautiful, and a genius, and so talented in so many areas. Don't you dare tell yourself that you're not good enough."

She rolled over, looking at him with wide eyes. "Thank you, Ace," she whispered.

"Go to sleep, Lark," he replied, smiling.

Moving as if by instinct, Cyclonis wriggled closer to the Dark Ace until her head was resting on his chest. He carefully wrapped his arms around her, in a protective, yet not possessive, gesture. She relaxed, tears and sadness drained from her, warm, safe, and happy. Soon they were both asleep in their embrace.

The Dark Ace woke the next morning when a ray of sunshine slanted across his face. There was an unusual warmth on his chest—Master Cyclonis. He smiled, closing his eyes and enjoying the few lazy seconds in the morning before it was time to get up.

It didn't last long. Piper, making her "wake-up" rounds, burst through the door. "Get up, sleepyheads!" she called. "Don't make me sing my Wake-up! Song."

She stopped in her tracks when she noticed the Dark Ace with a slumbering Cyclonis. "You…but I was just kidding…" she stuttered.

The Dark Ace lazily raised an eyebrow. "Shh, you'll wake the sleeping princess."

"Huh, waaa?" Cyclonis yawned. "I heard a bang. Everyone okay?" She saw the look on Piper's face and immediately turned bright red. "It's not what it looks like!" she stammered, extracting herself from the Dark Ace's arms. "We're not sleeping together, okay, technically we are sleeping together, but we're not _sleeping_ together…you explain."

"What Master Cyclonis means," the Dark Ace said smoothly, "is that we decided the sleeping arrangements would be most comfortable for everyone if we shared the only bed. We are not currently engaged in a relationship of any kind. She does have a deep, dark secret that she is rather embarrassed about you bursting in here to discover, however."

"What is that?" Piper asked, eyebrow raised.

"Why, under her tough exterior, the Master Cyclonis is a sweet, harmless Cyclonian SnuggleBunny!"

There was silence for a second, then all three burst out laughing.


	8. Bad Day

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm back with another chapter! Thanks to Hawks-Master, Bergie, Helliexx, Eddie, and Tege, the only five who cared to review on my last chapters ;-(. Anyway, I'm only putting up one chapter tonight, but it's a long one. Enjoy, then review!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks.

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She was trying to be a good sport. She really was. Yet sometimes, everything seems to go against you, no matter now hard you try. Cyclonis realized this as she was playing with her fork and French toast, sitting in the silence as everyone chatted around the breakfast table.

Cyclonis was having a bad day. It started when Piper burst into her room, waking her up from good dreams and making her more embarrassed then she had felt in recent memory. As she went to take a shower to relax, she realized that the Condor didn't have hot water in the morning. Then, there were clothes that Piper brought for her to borrow—they weren't even Piper's, they were some of Starling's old stuff that she had brought for her. It was far from a perfect fit, but at least it was purple.

Breakfast: Finn had cooked it, or at least tried to. With Starling's help, the French toast came out fairly good. Cyclonis ate gourmet food, prepared by the finest cooks kidnapped from exotic terras. She did not eat "okay" French toast.

"We need to supply up," Aerrow said. "Get some power crystals, some supplies, and, um," he eyed Master Cyclonis in her baggy attire, "maybe some clothes. Piper, got any chroma-crystals?"

Master Cyclonis loathed chroma-crystals; they always made her reflexes slower. Still, she understood that this trip was mainly for her, so she dutifully followed Piper to her lab. Piper tossed her a bracelet with a small crystal glowing red on it. Cyclonis quickly put it on, then stepped in front of a mirror.

"Great, I'm blonde," she grumbled.

"Lighten up," giggled Piper. "You look fine. You can even take it off in the changing room, make sure all the clothes look good on the real you!"

Cyclonis internally groaned. Shopping? Really? She had read about it in books and magazines, but she had thought of it as just another fiction. Her clothes were made for her by tailors. She had never gone shopping.

Piper caught the look on her face. "No malls in Cyclonia?" she asked. "Then your first experience has to be perfect. This is too much for just me. STARLING!"

Starling raced through the bedroom door, nunchucks out and whirling. "What is it?" she asked, eyes searching for an enemy to fight.

"Poor, deprived, underprivileged, left out, abandoned—"

Starling took a look at the two girls.

"She's never been shopping, has she?"

_Uhg_, Cyclonis thought, _can this day get any worse?_

The three females of the Condor met up with everyone else in the hanger bay. Starling and Piper had to practically drag Cyclonis out. The reason became apparent as soon as they got her into view.

Cyclonis was not only blonde and wearing lavender (they couldn't force her into pink), but had two French braids. "Starling, I want you to know that I feel absolutely no shame for what happened when you were a Talon," she hissed. "The hair has gone to far. I look like a schoolgirl!"

Piper tossed a crystal to Dark Ace as Starling smiled evilly. "The revenge has only begun," she said.

"What re—"

"Are you serious?" the Dark Ace screamed. He had caught sight of himself in a particularly shiny pipe. "I'm a Merb?"

The Dark Ace's disguise was indeed that of a Merb; he looked, in fact, just like Stork's older brother. "You're a Merb named Bermie, Stork's cousin, who is visiting us. Cyclonis is Lark. You'll be helping Stork out reloading the ship with fuel-crystals."

The Condor bumped down at the dock, doors of the hanger bay opening to reveal the bright sunlight and the small yet bustling terra. "Terra Yokoria," Starling breathed in awe. "Best shopping malls in the Atmos."

"Not to mention all the famous crystal vendors!" Piper squealed.

"Let's get this over with," Cyclonis grumbled, wedged between the two friends. Together, they charged into the madness of the crowds. Laughing, the males started hauling crystals. "Girls," Finn said. "They're all the same: impossible to understand!"

Master Cyclonis decided that if she truly wanted to make the dungeons of Cyclonia the most feared place in all of Atmos, she would have to design them just like the changing rooms of this mall. It was torture, more malicious than anything she had ever thought up.

She clutched in her arms a variety of black and purple tops, all nicely embroidered in similar hues. She had also managed to find some nice leather pants that fit her well in a dark grey. She found fancy silver robes for when she had to present her case to the Sky Knight Council, and some nice black robes as well. She loved the shoes—she had spent nearly twenty minutes trying on as many pairs of four-and-a-half in heels she could find. The reason that she was starting to loathe this changing room was draped across Piper's arm.

Pajamas. The color was right, too: black with a bit of red. _These_ pajamas, though, were covered in evil looking vampire bunnies. Cyclonis's eyes narrowed. Who cares if they have long teeth? They're still bunnies! Starling didn't even get the joke, as Piper had been sworn to secrecy, and she was hysterical.

"We're getting these pajamas," Piper said smugly, "and that's final." Cyclonis didn't even want to try to argue with her. As the ruler of the Cyclonians, she had used her fair share of blackmail. She always wondered what it would feel like used against her. Now she knew.

Aerrow, Junko, Stork, Finn, and _Bermie_ were all hauling crates of crystals back to the Condor. Aerrow had fallen behind, an extra crate he decided to grab causing him to stumble and lag. Just as he thought he was about to trip and fall, a green hand grabbed the second crate from his arms, allowing him to recapture his balance. "Thanks, Sto—"

It wasn't Stork. It was Bermie, Dark Ace.

Aerrow looked down awkwardly. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it, brushing past the fake Merb to set his crate down. Looking around, he noticed the others had gone inside, leaving just him and his greatest enemy on the landing pad with all the crates. A cold shiver went down his spine. Could he trust the Dark Ace? Should he stand his ground, or should he run inside too?

"Well, spit it out, kid." It was strange hearing the voice of his greatest rival coming from such a harmless looking Merb. Aerrow's internal struggle intensified, until he finally voiced what had been on his mind since they had let the Dark Ace on the Condor.

"You killed my father!" he yelled.

The Dark Ace looked nostalgic, even a bit regretful. "If this were some cheesy thing, I'd say something along the lines of, 'Luke, I am your father.' It's not, though, so the only thing I can hope to do is explain, and maybe you'd understand me at least." Aerrow nodded, throat tight. He had never heard anything about his father before, and he was ready to at least listen to what the Dark Ace had to say.

"Your father was my idol, my best friend. I hero-worshiped him. When I was just sixteen, he formed himself a squadron, and fresh with my license to fly, I tried to join him. He welcomed me with open arms.

"I wanted to be more than just a copilot, though. I knew that it was an honor to be a part of the Storm Hawks at that young an age, but I felt the need to prove myself. I stupidly decided to go into Cyclonian territory. I'm not sure what I was thinking; only that taking down a squadron of Talons single-handedly was sure to impress everyone.

"The battle was close. I managed to take down most of them, but in the end it proved to be too much. One of them called for backup in the beginning of the battle, and soon I was weaponless and surrounded by twenty Talons. However, one of the commanders was impressed with how I fought, and he decided to take me into Cyclonia, to present me to the Master.

"When I stumbled into the throne room, Talons grabbing my arms and dragging me along, that was when I first saw her. She was wearing black robes, and looked so small and fragile. She couldn't have been more than ten, but she held herself with such dignity…I just stared. I had lost the will to do anything more.

"I was frozen like a deer in the headlights when he walked into the room. 'So you've met my daughter, Lark,' he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. She didn't seem to like that very much, but she stood still, stiffened her back. I wanted to leap up and protect her, but I couldn't. Not with all the guards' weapons pointed at me.

"The Talon commander gave his report, and I knew I should have been listening, but all I could do was stare at her. She was so pale looking, so delicate. Her black hair was brushed until it shined, and her nails were long and immaculately painted purple. She was already wearing heavy eyeliner, which only made her wide violet eyes seem more beautiful."

"Lark," Aerrow breathed. "Lark Cyclonis."

"I realized that the commander had finished giving his report when the room went silent. I felt all eyes on me. He looked from me to his daughter, then he started laughing. 'Take this one back to his skimmer, and escort him to the edge of our territory,' he said. 'I don't think he's Cyclonian material. Oh, and lad—never come back.'

"I was back on the Condor before nightfall. I couldn't believe my luck. I fed them all a story of how I had been surrounded, and at the last minute I dove into the Wastelands and flew through it until I lost the Talons. They all believed me. I even took apart my skimmer and made sure that there were no crystals or bugs attached, but it was clean. I was confused, but I was happy. I was the kid who outwitted the Cyclonians.

"That night, I learned differently. I learned that it was really Master Cyclonis, and his daughter, who had outwitted me. You see, that was the first night that I dreamed about her face.

"I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat. My team began to worry about me, but I didn't care. I didn't care if I died, because that would be better than never seeing her again. Everyone wondered what had gotten into me, so I pretended to have the flu to give myself time to think, away from them.

"One night, when I was particularly depressed, the thought hit me. What if the Cyclonians welcomed me with open arms? What if I became their hero? But I knew that the only thing I could do to ensure that would be to betray, and kill, the Storm Hawks, my family.

"I tried to ignore it. I tried to pretend I had never though such a horrible thought. I went back to the group, and I worked harder than ever before. But it was always there, in the back of my head. Sometimes when I just closed my eyes I would see her face. I resisted for about a month, then I couldn't stand it anymore.

"That was when I decided to kill your father."

Without a word, the Dark Ace picked up a crate, and began to change out the power crystals. Silently, hesitantly, Aerrow began to work along side him. He wasn't sure if he could ever forgive the Dark Ace, but he had at least stopped hating him.

Piper and Cyclonis were examining crystals on a small cart. The old saleslady beamed with pride as they rummaged through her wares, stocking up on their favorite crystals. Piper was just looking, but Cyclonis was gathering herself a new bag of tricks, as she had been forced to abandon all of her Cyclonian crystals.

"Three first class Levitators, a nice Paralyzer, a set of weapons crystals including Icers, Firebolts, more Paralyzers, one of the finest Telekinesis crystals I've seen, a Windstone, three Shielding crystals, seven enhancers, and three power-crystals. Did I miss anything, dear?" the lady asked.

"Well, I'll probably find a few more that I'll want to add to this collection. Otherwise, that's pretty much it, unless you have some Oblivion stones."

The woman glared at her through her glasses. "We don't sell any dangerous stones to customers under eighteen," she said sharply.

Cyclonis shrugged, expecting that, then went back to looking through the neat rows of crystals laid out. Piper was just about ready to drag her friend back to the Condor when something caught Cyclonis's eye. She dived for it, snagging a small, colorless stone. "How much?" she asked, eyes lit up.

"So you have an eye for antiques. That little thing is quite a piece of history. I'll part with it for seventy-five quantas."

"Done," said Cyclonis, pulling out her red credit card. One good thing about shopping with her was that price wasn't an issue: Cyclonia had the largest treasury of all of Atmos.

"Seventy-five? For that puny thing?" Piper squeaked. "That's a rip off! That's more than all your other crystals combines! Do you even know what that thing does?"

"Piper," Cyclonis explained coolly. "'That thing' is the Star Shard. As in _the _Star Shard." Piper looked blank. For once, there was something about crystals that she didn't know. "There was a time when all of Atoms was under the rule of one king or queen. Supposedly, this little crystal sat upon their brows as the centerpiece of their crown. It is said that you can see anything you want in it—from a little ant to the entire universe, if you are worthy enough to use it. The rulers of the old found it very useful in keeping watch over their kingdom, and making sure all their citizens were happy. I thought it was just a legend."

The lady looked at Cyclonis closely. "Do I know you, dear?" she asked, but Piper yanked her away before she could answer.

"We're gonna be late!" she hissed, dragging her friend along.

"I should've known shopping wouldn't be a relaxing thing at all," Cyclonis complained.

"Race you to the Condor!" Piper giggled.

Burdened as they were with bags of clothes and crystals, they still made good time. They skidded to a stop at exactly the same time, to see Dark Ace and Aerrow load the last of the crystals. Piper hauled her bags inside. Cyclonis started to do the same, but was stopped by Dark Ace.

"I'll take those," he said. "I'm going to our room anyway." Cyclonis nodded gratefully. He lifted all of her new stuff, except for the Star Shard, which she kept in her pocket. She took it out and turned it over in her hands, rubbing it.

She wasn't sure how long she stood there, but when she looked up, there was no one else on the landing pad. She had a strange feeling on the back of her neck. She whipped around, eyes searching the sky.

There, in the southern sky, was a small, dark cloud. However, it was moving rather fast, and the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. Despite that, it headed straight towards Terra Yorkia, a shadow, a stain in the sky.

_A shadow in the sky._ They had found her. Just when her day was becoming bearable, too.

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I'm tired of writing "Review" (just like the disclaimer) so I hope you get the picture already that it makes me happy!


	9. Battle for Yorkia

Author's Note: I'm really sad—only Bergie decided to review my last chapter! Please, people! I'm a writer desperate for some feedback here! Review!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks.

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Cyclonis was a tornado of action. She pocketed the Star Shard, and ripped her chroma-bracelet off. Rushing through the ship, she burst into the bridge. Needless to say, Stork was surprised.

"Get this ship off the ground and hovering over the center of the Terra," she ordered Stork. Something in her eyes, a hard half-mad gleam, made him afraid to even think of questioning. "Piper, I need you to get on your skimmer and find every levitation and shielding crystal that you can, then head back to the Condor. I'll meet you in the air. Aerrow, Starling, I want you and—Junko, your Knuckle-Busters are crystal powered, right?—then the three of you get on your skimmers and ready for battle. Dark Ace will you as soon as—" He burst into the room.

"I brought your crystals, Master."

"Perfect," she continued, catching the small bag he tossed to her. "Finn, set yourself up sharpshooting from the ground. Stork, you're going the land in the very middle of the Terra on my mark."

Nobody disobeyed Cyclonis when she got like this. Aerrow, however, was brave enough to ask what was going on. "Why, proof that I'm not lying has decided that this terra looks yummy. Now, MOVE!" she shouted back.

She grabbed the intercom, and, in an impossible move, liquefied one of her Enhancer Crystals into pure energy, which she poured into the microphone and wires. "Testing," she said irritably. Her voice echoed outside the Condor throughout the entire terra, making all the confused shoppers look up.

"This is not a drill. All those of you who actually care to see tomorrow, get underground and get as many crystals as you can to protect yourself. Don't start a large scale panic, and whatever you do, don't try to fly away. Or you'll die."

A familiar buzz came from outside—Piper's Heliscooter. Cyclonis jumped to the middle of the bridge, then hit a lever using her Telekinesis Crystal. "Land now, Stork!" she shouted. The floor rose up, ejecting her into the sky, where she hovered next to Piper. "I'm going to fly around," she called over the noise of the whirling blades. "You follow me, and toss me one of each type of crystal when I stop." Piper nodded, then took off after her.

Cyclonis stopped at the edge of the terra, snatching the thrown crystals out of the air. She gritted her teeth then slammed them together, combining them with the sheer force of her willpower. The shielding crystal now bobbed in the air, giving off a faint red sheen around it. She flew twenty feet up. "Another!" she cried as Piper raced to catch up, tossing the crystals.

Again, she combined the two and left them hovering. This time, however, the floating shielding crystal emitted a red line of power, connecting with the crystal below it. Piper understood what was going on at once: Cyclonis was setting up a makeshift force field around the entire terra. Not wasting a second, they flew off to the next point.

Aerrow, Radarr, Starling, Junko, and Dark Ace were readying their skimmers as the red curtain slowly covered the blue sky above them. They could all see the cloud now, approaching rapidly and menacingly through the sky. The Dark Ace was giving them tips. "This is not like fighting other skimmers," he said. "These things have more speed, and maneuverability. They can dodge better, come closer, and get behind, above, and below you easily. The only thing that hurts them is crystal energy. Aerrow, I'm especially worried about you. You won't be able to leap onto their skimmers, because they don't need skimmers to fly. Whatever you do, don't let them touch you."

Outside the Condor, a few stupid citizens stood gaping and looking at the sky, but most, having heard of the revered Storm Hawks, had taken the advice which came from the Condor and were hiding in their basements. Finn and Stork were on the energy cannons of the Condor, though Stork didn't seem too happy about it. A strange silence had descended upon the terra, and all who were still outside could just look up, watching the race against the red protection and the incoming shadow.

Time ticked by slowly. Finally, Cyclonis clapped the last two crystals together, finishing the makeshift bubble of protection. She was just in time, too, as the shadows swarmed above, carefully keeping away from the red wall of energy. She headed back for the Condor, Piper behind her.

Cyclonis landed gracefully, face taunt with the strain of combing all the crystals. "The shield is one-way," she explained. "We can go out, or shoot energy out, but nothing can come back in, including us once we exit." The four on their skimmers nodded curtly. Cyclonis turned to Piper. "Have you ever blasted walls of energy, using multiple crystals?" she asked.

Piper mutely shook her head.

"Then I need you to stay behind the shield. You can still blast, but don't cross over—you'll just be killed." Piper glanced at the roiling wall of black and grey that blocked out the sun, held at bay by the thinnest red sheet. She nodded again.

"Then Storm Hawks, let's fly!"

Battling nightmarish shadows was one of the most intense things any of the fighters, Storm Hawks and Cyclonians alike, had ever done. Junko just swung his fists, coming into contact with the strange shadow-flesh as he took them down. Starling's purple nunchucks whirled every which way around her, shielding her as effectively as the red energy protected the terra, except for the fact that the red energy didn't occasionally lash out, catching and destroying a shadow.

Aerrow was tested to the limit of his abilities. Standing with his twin daggers out as Radarr piloted, he twisted, jumped, and dodged through the air, always landing on his skimmer, somehow managing to protect himself from the relentless deluge.

The ground support was helping as well. Finn was whirling with his cannon, taking careful aim and hitting a shadow with every shot. Stork had lost all restraint and was cackling manically as he shot in every which direction. Luckily for him, there were enough shadows attacking that he had yet to miss a shot. Piper hovered on her Heliscooter right underneath the apex of the shield, shooting devastating rays of crystal energy from behind the sanctuary.

The Cyclonians were dealing with the battle better than all of the others, firstly because they had already fought the shadows, and secondly, because they knew exactly what their fate would be if they didn't win. A painful and nasty death was a good impetus to fight well.

Cyclonis was a whirlwind of destruction, fighting like the storm from which she took her name. Her eyes had turned a pure glowing silver from all the energy she was using, and she blasted, seared, scorched, and destroyed all the shadows unlucky enough to come into her range.

The Dark Ace, too, had no trouble fighting, simply letting his instincts take over and acting instead of thinking. However, this battle, he was slightly distracted. Perhaps it was because he had seen a very human side of his Master, but whenever he could steal a glance at her, a pang of worry twisted his gut.

He no longer looked at her as the invincible, invulnerable, untouchable ruler of Cyclonia. Now, he saw the small girl that he loved and longed to protect.

Unfortunately, with his mind on her and not on the battle, his fighting began to suffer. He couldn't concentrate enough to ward off all the attacks, and got slashed across the arm by sharp black claws. Angry, he slashed back with twice the speed and power, but he had been weakened enough. Smelling blood and sensing he was near the breaking, all nearby shadows swarmed him even more.

Cursing at his own stupidity, the Dark Ace swiped and turned, trying to protect all sides. However, there were simply too many shadows around him; it was impossible to fight them all off. As Stork would have said, he was doomed.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light as a shadow was blasted away by pure crystal power. Cyclonis landed nimbly behind him, hitting another shadow with her destructive energy. Hope renewed, the Dark Ace fought back to back with his Master with renewed vigor.

The battle was fairly evenly matched. There were a lot less shadows than the vast army which had taken down the Talons, but here there were no Talons, only the five Storm Hawks and their three allies. Everyone was holding their ground, but the shadows were untiring and the Storm Hawks were losing energy quickly. The squadron was going to need some outside help if they were going to survive.

Or, rather, some _inside_ help.

"Dearie, come give an old woman a lift," came a call from below.

Piper looked down, surprised. It was the lady from the crystal stand, clutching in her hand a crate of crystals. Trusting her instincts, Piper lowered her Heliscooter to the ground. The woman hopped on, showing amazing agility for one so old, before Piper brought her ride back up to its previous position.

"I came as soon as I could, my old crystal combiner machine can only work so quickly," the woman gushed, grabbing a crystal from her crate. "Close your eyes, now, dear," she said, then threw the crystal up and above the shield.

As the crystal reached the apex of its throw, it exploded in a blast of pure energy and light, taking out all the shadows in a ten-foot radius. "Light crystals, combined with exploding ones," the woman explained smugly. "Makes perfect anti-shadow grenades." She offered the crate to Piper, who grabbed a handful, and began tossing them. Soon, the sky was lit up with flashes of light until all the shadows had been annihilated.

The Storm Hawks descended, cheering. Cyclonis deactivated the shield and began to collect the floating crystals. The rest of the Storm Hawks landed on the Condor. "Great job, Piper!" Aerrow said, "and, umm…"

"Minerva," replied the old lady, extending her hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Just then, Cyclonis and Dark Ace landed. Cyclonis's arms were filled with the glowing red crystals, and she deposited them in an empty crate. Giving the crate to Minerva, she explained, "These crystals are still good. Set them up again if the shadows ever come back. Though, you seem to be able to fight them off just fine yourself."

Minerva smiled, adjusting her glasses and accepting the crate. "Lark, darling," she said. "The last time I saw you, you were just a baby!" Cyclonis gave her a questioning look. "I knew your grandmother, we used to be the best of friends." Flashing the Storm Hawks one last smile, she waddled off.

The Storm Hawks stared at her retreating form, then Aerrow shrugged. "Come one, guys," he said. "We've got an appointment with the Sky Knight Council to keep."

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	10. Bad Dreams

Author's Note: I was really sad that I was getting so few reviews, then everybody wrote to me! Yaaaay! So I wasn't planning on posting another chapter tonight, but I'm so happy that I'm going to. Fanfic math: Reviews = happy author = more chapters. (I think that's called the transitive property of equality.)

Anyway, I don't own the Storm Hawks.

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That night, Cyclonis was restless. She tossed and turned, she rolled over, she even considered counting sheep, but no matter what she did she couldn't seem to fall asleep. Finally, she crawled into the Dark Ace's arms. He smiled knowingly, as if he had been waiting for her like the patient father had waited for his prodigal son. In the safety of his embrace, Cyclonis quickly found the rest she was searching for. She was sound asleep in a minute.

In all recent memory, Cyclonis could not remember dreaming. Dreaming was illogical, a luxury she didn't have time for back in the Cyclonian palace. Here, however, she was plagued with strange unconscious visions.

She was walking along Terra Tropica, but it was completely deserted. The waves crashed eerily on the white sand, the only sound on the perfectly silent beach. Everything has a weird hue, as if tinted blue. There were crystals scattered across the sand.

With nothing better to do, she began to walk across the strange paradise. She knew it was just a dream, so there was no point in trying to wake up from it. Academically, she was curious. _Are all dreams like this?_ she wondered, _So vivid? So strange?_

She strolled along the silent beach for what could have been hours, or minutes. Still, there was nothing in sight, no one on the deserted coastline, just herself and her thoughts. It was a strange feeling to be so alone. She wasn't sure if she treasured it, or if it creeped her out a bit. However, since it was a dream, she chose not to worry.

Suddenly, the Condor was in front of her. Carefully, she walked inside, through the hanger bay, the metal corridors. It was just as empty as the beach behind her had been. She reached the door to the bridge. An uneasy prickling ran down her spine, giving her cold shivers. _You can't get hurt in a dream,_ she told herself, then pushed open the doors, boldly walking through.

Stork, Finn, Piper, Junko, Aerrow, Starling, and Dark Ace all sat with their backs to her. The room was completely silent. Only her light footsteps sounded as she slowly walked closer to them. Soon she was close enough to see their faces.

From what she could tell, they all had looks of absolute horror on their faces. It was hard to know for certain, though, because only the skin and bones were left. She stumbled back, puking. Silently, menacingly, the shadows around her began to move, detaching themselves from the walls and ceiling, until a circle of shadow-beasts surrounded her. Cyclonis was too shocked and disgusted to move.

"Who are you," she spat, tears streaming down her face. "What do you want from me?"

The shadows were silent. One glided forward from the ranks, and the others tightened the circle. The shadow reached out a black arm, and stroked her forehead slowly. It felt like ice.

_We are the Fallen,_ rasped a voice in her brain. _We are the ancient hunger. We are the darkness of the universe. We are the end of all life, and we have come to destroy this world, as we have destroyed so many others._

"Get out of my head!" she screamed, pushing them back. "Get out of my head, get out of my dream, get out of my life!"

_Why? There's nothing you can do to stop us. We are your nightmares, and you can't make us go away. We will haunt you, and when we choose to, we will find you and suck out your life force. There is nothing you can do that will change this…_

The cool black claw touched her forehead again, and she felt a brief second of pure pain, before the world dissolved. She was on Terra Atmosia, but she could barely recognize it. The building were destroyed, fires raged, and smoke rose into the air. All the people were dead and drained of life, identical expressions of horror on their faces.

Terra Yorkia, Terra Gale, Terra Merbia, Terra Neon, Terra Saharr, Terra Cyclonia. All similar visions of destruction and death.

She was surprised at how much she was touched by all of their deaths. They weren't even her people, but she still pitied them and wished to avenge them.

"Why are you showing me this?" she sobbed.

_We are showing you exactly how hopeless it is. We are showing you the future of your world, despite what you try to do to stop it. We are offering you a way out—come to us alone, and you can die, painlessly. Fight back and we will keep you alive to see the end of your world, then we will consume your soul. Slowly._

"Get away from me! Leave me alone! I'll never stop fighting," she screamed, hysterical.

The world dissolved, and she reappeared on a familiar black marble floor. All she could do was curl into a ball and cry.

"What are you doing on the ground?"

Not that voice. She hadn't heard that voice for three years, but it was just as she remembered it: harsh, angry, and unforgiving.

"I'm not surprised, a weakling like you crying. I always knew you didn't have it in you to be the Master of all of Atmos. You might as well give up, because that all you'll ever be able to do. You couldn't conquer Atmos. You couldn't even face a shadow without running to those puny Storm Hawks, crying for help. You are a disgrace."

Cyclonis wiped her eyes and stood up. "You don't scare me. You haven't been in my life for three years, and you can't control me now."

"You stupid, feeble child. I disown you. You're an embarrassment to the Cyclonian name."

She shook her head, holding her chin high. "Once, I cared about what you thought of me. Once, I wished that you loved me. Now I know that you never looked at me and saw a daughter, just another means to an end. You're not my father; you relinquished that right the day you stabbed my mother to take her throne."

The man laughed. "So you've finally grown a spine," he said, striding forward, raising his arm as if to slap him.

She smiled lightly, jutting her chin out as if she was daring him to continue. Eyes narrowed, he brought his hand down across her cheek. His hand went right through as if he was made of light.

"Stupid shadow, this is my dream, this is in my head. I made the rules," she said, smiling.

Her father dissolved into the amorphous black shape of the shadow-beasts. _So we've got a fighter._

"And I intend to fight. Now, GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" She through out a wave of hate and defiance just as she would crystal energy, and to her surprise, it worked. Red ember eyes wide with fear, the shadow started dissolving. As hard as it tried, it couldn't stay in her mind.

_This is not the end. We will meet again, young fighter, and next time you will not be so lucky._

Cyclonis nodded. "But I've already faced my fears," she said. "You feed on fears, and I've already faced mine. So you can do your worst, but I'll only be all the stronger for it."

With a final scream, the shadow disappeared. There was silence in the throne room.

Cyclonis sat on the floor, closing her eyes. "I want to wake up now," she said in a small voice. "Please let me wake up now. I want to wake up now."

"I want to wake up now. Please let me wake up now. I want to wake up now." The Dark Ace was a light sleeper, and he woke immediately to the sound of his Master's voice. His pajamas were wet; it seemed as if she had been crying.

He quickly sat up, pulling her fully into his lap, cradling her. Placing his hand on her forehead, he gently pushed back her dark hair. "It's okay, you're safe," he whispered, gently rocking her. Her eyes slowly opened.

"Dark Ace, I never want to sleep again, not if all nightmares are like that," she said, shuddering.

"It's okay, some dreams are good. Don't worry, when the sun comes, you'll forget all about it, and feel better. You're fine, you're safe, you're here, I'll protect you," he reassured her.

She nodded, taking deep breaths, resting her head under his chin. "Dark Ace," she said, "this might sound silly, but I want to get out of here, just for a few minutes. I want to fly in the cool night air and pretend that none of this happened. That's not stupid, is it?"

"No, it's perfectly normal," he replied. "I feel like that all the time. Come on, we'll take my skimmer."

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Well, there it is, peoples! Review please!


	11. Stargazing

Author's Note: I was so excited for getting so many reviews that I forgot to celebrate my tenth chapter ever with a "Yippee." So here's to a delayed happy tenth chapter. YIPPEEE!!!!!!!!

As always, I want to thank the awesome people who took the time to review: Nezy, Bergie, Tege, and Love Shall Never Die.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks.

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The hanger bay looked strange and deserted in the dark, but Cyclonis was in such a good mood she didn't even notice. She stood by the controls as the hanger doors slid open with a creak. The night breeze ruffled her hair, and blew her nightdress back. She hadn't changed for this impromptu flight, she simply pulled on a pair of flying pants. The bunnies weren't even visible in the bad lighting.

Behind her came the muted hum of a skimmer engine. She turned lightly like a dancer, to see the Dark Ace riding towards her. He gained speed and leaned over, snatching her before racing through the hanger doors and into the night sky.

Cyclonis sat curled in his lap, arms around his neck, head raised as the air whipped past her. The sky was clear, and the stars shone brightly around them.

"I never knew it was so beautiful, so clear."

The Dark Ace looked down. "Hm?" he asked.

"Oh, just thinking out loud," Cyclonis replied. "The stars—they've never seemed so close, so vivid before. Not to say Cyclonia isn't beautiful, but with all the smog in the air, you can't see the stars as well."

"The night is often misunderstood," the Dark Ace mused. He gently lifted her chin up, so she was facing him. Suddenly, she didn't think he was talking about the night anymore. "People only see the darkness. They don't care to notice the beauty, or the bright points—the stars."

"And you do?" she replied. Her voice wasn't condescending, or sarcastic. She seemed to be honestly curious.

"I've spent enough time in the dark," he said, "that my eyes have begun to adjust."

Cyclonis was very aware of how there was just the two of them, surrounded by the seemingly endless fields of night. She noticed how close their faces were. Blushing, she turned away.

"Have you ever wanted to see them all?" she asked, looking to the sky. "I think the stars are probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"I can think of one or two things I consider more beautiful," he whispered into her hair. She didn't react, but he wasn't sure if it was because she didn't hear or chose not to. For a few minutes, they just flew, circling in the night air.

"Do you think this is hopeless?" she asked abruptly.

"What, asking the Sky Knight council for help tomorrow?" he asked. "Or this entire freaking war against these shadow-monsters?" _Or the fact that I am desperately in love with you, but we can't be together because you're the Master Cyclonis and I'm a traitor Sky Knight, _he added to himself. Cyclonis was silent. "Listen to me," he said forcefully, "nothing is hopeless. Nothing. If you wanted to fly, you'd grow a pair of wings."

"Or grab a levitation crystal, silly," she giggled.

"Well, this is why you are the Master in charge of all these things and I'm just your evil henchman," he laughed back.

"I think you're more than just a henchman," she said softly.

"Oh? So what am I?" he wondered.

"Well, for one, you're a fellow SnuggleBunny," she said. "And you're…well,"

"What?" Dark Ace prodded, genuinely curious.

"I'm not really sure. Somehow you're more than a servant; I trust you more than any other Cyclonian. And, you're not really a friend. That's a word I would use to describe someone like Piper or Starling, someone who I could…paint my nails with. Companion is too formal. I honestly don't know," Cyclonis confessed.

The wind picked up a bit, and for the first time Cyclonis noticed how cold it was. She involuntary shivered. The Dark Ace hugged her closer. "You don't need a word to describe me," he responded. "I'm your Dark Ace. Isn't that enough?"

She nodded, squirming closer in his grasp. _Just for his body warmth,_ she told herself, but she also enjoyed the feeling of nearness, of safety. Slowly, the Dark Ace leaned the skimmer to the left, so it made a large circle in the air. They silently flew back towards the Condor.

"Can we land on rock that the Condor's anchored to?" Cyclonis asked. "I'm not ready to go inside yet."

The Dark Ace just swerved his skimmer down and landed.

The rock was fairly nice, spongy grass covering the top. Cyclonis climbed down slowly, as if sleepwalking. She plopped herself down on the grass. The Dark Ace sat next to her.

She took out the Star Shard again, and began turning it around in her hand.

"So what does that fancy crystal of yours do?" Dark Ace asked.

"I'm not really sure," Cyclonis replied. "The only references to it are in legends, so half the things I know about it are probably some sort of fiction. It's supposed to show you everything and anything." She flipped it again, rubbing it.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" the Dark Ace inquired. She shot him a questioning look. "You said earlier that you wanted to see all the stars."

She smiled. "What makes you think I'm worthy of using it?" she wondered.

"What makes you think you're not?" he countered.

She turned it over again, then brought it up to her lips, whispering, "I want to see the stars." To her surprise, it began glowing, and floated out of her grasp to hover half a foot above her head. Light radiated out from it, projecting a floating model of the galaxy above them.

The Dark Ace laid back on the ground to get a better view of the amazing show of lights above his head. Gingerly, Cyclonis lowered herself down too so her head rested on his stomach.

Above them, the spiral of light was gently turning. There were so many stars, to think that Atmos was just a small point in all that light. People considered outer space to be full of space, but they didn't realize how much light, how much beauty it contained.

Over the Star Shard's galaxy was another one, the real one. Stars true and projected twinkled together, blurring in her tired eyes until she couldn't tell the difference. Slowly, her eyelids fluttered closed and her breathing deepened. Cyclonis had fallen asleep.

The Dark Ace laid there for a few more minutes, enjoying the stars and the closeness of his Master, before he grudgingly admitted that they should probably go back inside. He lifted himself up slowly, making sure not to wake the sleeping girl. Grabbing the floating Star Shard, he placed it in her slender hands and closed her fingers over it. Then he picked her up and carried her back to the skimmer, completing the journey back to the Condor.

Back in their room, he gently lowered her onto the bed. Glancing at her sleeping face, he couldn't resist softly pushing her dark silky hair off of her forehead. She mumbled incoherently in her sleep, then smiled. Dark Ace smiled back. Lark Cyclonis was so beautiful when she was sleeping.

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Anybody heard the song "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol? For the past couple days, I've had the refrain stuck in my head. _If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me, and just forget the world?_

This chapter was sort of inspired by that.

Anyway, please review!


	12. Sky Knight Council

Author's note: Thanks to Tege, Love Shall Never Die, Bergie, and Nezy for reviewing. Always appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks.

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Breakfast was tension-filled on the Condor. Cyclonis just picked at her toast, not eating it.

"I don't like you going in there with no plan," Starling said, shaking her head. Cyclonis just shrugged and continued playing with her food.

Eventually, Aerrow awkwardly excused himself. Junko and Stork were off next. Piper and Dark Ace stayed for emotional support. Finn and Starling stayed to try to convince Cyclonis that there must be another better way than simply barging in and flat-out asking for help.

She shook her head. "The truth is," she said, "we don't have that many options. Cyclonia is in hiding—our power, our threat, is a lot less than it would have been a week ago. To make matters worse, reports indicate that nothing strange seemed to be going on outside of Terra Yorkia, and we had everyone underground there. We have no witnesses, no proof that this isn't some elaborate trap."

Finn slammed his glass of orange juice down. "I can't believe you don't have another plan. You're Master Cyclonis, for goodness sake! You have twenty backup plans for taking over the Atmos. Surely you have a single backup plan for presenting a proposal of alliance to the Sky Knight Council!"

Cyclonis looked down. "You do have another plan, don't you?" urged Piper.

Cyclonis yielded. "Yes, there is a second option," she said, "but it will be dangerous."

The famous courtroom of Atmosia was packed to the brim with rich citizens, famous scribes, old retired Sky Knights, and anyone lucky enough to get themselves a seat. They knew that it had to be pretty important for the Storm Hawks and Starling to call an emergency public meeting.

No one was disappointed as the grand doors opened and she walked through.

Master Cyclonis stalked into the room, looking every inch the evil empress she was. She had worn her silver robes, and it made a stark contrast to her dark hair and eyeliner. Attached to a circlet on her head was the Star Shard, which was projecting a beautiful crown of light above her.

Chaos broke out. Everyone stood up screaming, even some members of the Sky Knight Council. The guards lowered their weapons, aiming them at her throat. She just held her head higher. Finally, the presiding officer was forced to slam down a large crystal mallet. The resulting wave of energy silenced everyone.

"Let her walk up to the stand," the leader gently admonished the guards. Their weapons did not lower, but they walked with her up through the eerily silent crowd until she stood beneath the council. The Storm Hawks followed meekly, then filed into their reserved seats in the front row, sitting in such an order: Stork, Junko, Finn, Starling, Aerrow, Piper, and the Dark Ace.

Master Cyclonis had reached the witness stand. She stood proud, but her knees were shaking lightly. "Now state your name and purpose, child," urged the leader.

"I am _not_ a child," Cyclonis said in a cool, practiced voice. "I am Master Cyclonis, and I come to represent the great empire of Cyclonia in this courtroom. Cyclonia is under attack by a force not of the Atmos, and if any of us are to survive we must set aside old hatreds—"

She was cut off by a jeering crowd.

"This is stupid! This is some trick!"

"Why are we even listening to her? Just take her to the dungeons and schedule her execution!"

"Let the Cyclonians die, I'd say. Then if this threat is even real, we'll be fine to face it ourselves!"

"ORDER!" The crystal mallet brought silence back to the court.

One of the council members had stood up. The leader motioned for him to speak. "This monster and her precedents has threatened the Atmos for as long as anyone can remember! And now she comes begging to us like a whipped dog when there's a little problem that she can't deal with. Atmosia has had our fair share of problems, but we've never gone to Cyclonia for help! And let me ask you, do you think that Cyclonia would extend a neighborly hand if we did? So why should we help? Why should we even believe you?"

"The truth is," Cyclonis replied, "there's no way I can convince you that this is not some trick of trap. The truth is, you could easily turn against me here, order me to be taken to your dungeons, even though I come on a peaceful, diplomatic expedition. The thing is, there was nothing else to do. My people are in hiding, but they are the lucky ones. Take Terra Yorkia, for example. Your people were nearly dead, had the Storm Hawks not been there to intervene. I am requesting your help because it is only together that we will survive this threat."

"Have you said your piece?" the leader questioned.

"Yes," Cyclonis said.

"Then we shall debate this quandary in private."

Cyclonis looked upset. "I did not come here while people are suffering, dying, to see you discussing this matter in your stupid committee!" she hissed.

"No, but you did come here," the leader replied calmly, "and that means you will respect our customs while you are here." The Sky Knight Council swept off, leaving the anxious courtroom in suspense.

The Storm Hawks were taking it the worst. Finn and Starling were looking fascinated, debating precedents and legal codes under their breath. Junko just bit his nails, looking worried. Stork was glaring around, looking even more paranoid than usual. Aerrow was uncharacteristically fidgeting. Piper, however, seemed to be most anxius of them all. She reached out and grabbed the Dark Ace's hand, squeezing.

Aerrow glanced at her and was shocked at what he saw. Why wasn't she holding his hand? Did she not like him anymore? And why was the Dark Ace holding her hand back? Outrage overcame him. He was about to shout out at Dark Ace when a cool hand touched his shoulder, stopping him.

It was Starling. "Cool your anger," she said. "Things are not as they seem." This surprised Aerrow enough to keep him quiet for a second, before the Sky Knight Council returned.

The leader looked defeated as he spoke. "The Sky Knight Council's decision is such, after debate and a nearly unanimous vote. Cyclonis shall not be given the help she has pleaded for. Furthermore, she will be taken into custody and tried at a later date for her crimes against the freedom and safety for all of the Atmos."

Cyclonis's eyes went wide with fear, and she began to visibly tremble. The guards circled closer, laughing, prodding her with their spears. "I'm sorry child," the leader whispered, barely audible over the cheers from the audience.

CRASH! Piper's chair clattered to the floor as she stood up violently. The courtroom silenced immediately. "Piper, what are you doing?" Aerrow cried, gently grabbing her shoulder. She shook him off without a word and stalked up to the podium, stopping in front of the leader.

"Stop," she said calmly. Despite the fact that she stood in front of a room of angry citizens, was defying the orders of the court, speaking out of turn, and breaking who-knows-how-many laws, she held her ground. "You can't do this."

The leader straightened his glasses. "And who are you, child?" he asked kindly.

Piper didn't answer; instead, a member of the audience shouted out, "That's Piper of the Storm Hawks."

"What are you saying, child?" the leader prodded.

"You can't arrest her. She's completely innocent."

That brought an angry murmur from the crowd. The member who had spoken before stood up. "You dare defend Master Cyclonis?" he spat.

"Hm? Oh, I'm not defending Master Cyclonis," Piper replied cordially. "I'm just saying that you've got the wrong girl. She's not Master Cyclonis." Piper reached up to the blue crystal that always hung around her neck, yanking it off. As she laid it on the table, it sparked to red, then back to blue, then to its true color again. A chroma-crystal. The hand that held it was pale white, with purple sparkling nails. "I am."

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mwahahahahahah--evil author says you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the next chapter! (I might change my mind if you all review!)


	13. Sky Knight Council, Part 2

Author's Note: Thanks as always to Bergie, Love Shall Never Die, Tege, and Nezy for reviewing. There was a bit of confusion about who really was Cyclonis--I wanted to clear that up. Before the trial, Cyclonis came up with the idea that she and Piper switch places for her safety, and that if anything went wrong, she had the chance to shock everyone into listening. Piper, Dark Ace, Finn, and Starling were all in the room at the time, so they knew the plan. Aerrow, Junko, Stork, and Radarr did not. The real Cyclonis was the one who was disguised as Piper the entire time.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks.

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The two girls stood next to each other, outside appearance exactly the same, but it was obvious who was the real Cyclonis. She stood tall, proud, and regal, despite the fact that everyone in this room hated her, and probably wanted her dead. Piper-who-looked-like-Cyclonis, however, was trembling head to foot, as she slowly removed the Star Shard from her head.

It sparkled, then turned red. It was not truly the Star Shard, but another chroma-crystal. "Thank you," Cyclonis whispered as her friend walked past her, meekly returning to her seat. "You have done more for me that I would have ever asked of you. You are a true friend, a sister in all but blood." Piper nodded, tears welling up in her eyes, then she was gone, back to the safety of the Storm Hawks, sobbing in Aerrow's arms.

Cyclonis stared defiantly at the guards. Even though they held the spears and she was completely unarmed, they all nervously took a step back.

The leader of the Sky Knight Council blinked, cleaned his glasses with his shirt, and blinked again. "Such boldness has never been seen in this court before," he murmured in awe.

The other members of the Council were not so easily impressed. "This still doesn't change the verdict," one said angrily.

The leader nodded slowly. "I would like to ask her a few questions, though," he replied. "Child, why did you turn yourself in? You would have escaped, and your friend, too, as soon as we figured out your disguise."

Cyclonis narrowed her eyes. "I doubt you would have let her go, when you realized she stopped you from capturing me." The leader sadly nodded again.

"You still haven't answered my question, though," he urged.

She laughed: not the friendly laugh that the Storm Hawks had grown to love, but an evil, malicious cackle. "Why should I?" she said. "You wouldn't believe me if I did."

The leader just stared patiently.

"All you Atmosians think I'm such a monster. You think I have no feelings. Is it really so hard to believe that I actually care for a person? That I actually have a friend?"

The courtroom sat in shocked silence for a moment.

"You say you have feelings," the leader finally inquired. "Don't you feel any fear?"

Cyclonis laughed again. "I'm not scared because there is no torture, no death that you could possibly devise that will be worse than what they will do to me, to all of us." Her plan was in ruins. She hadn't manage to shock everyone enough with her appearance to make them listen to her. Might as well go out with a fight. "I'm also not scared because I don't plan to go to your dungeons. At least, not quietly."

The guards inched closer to her, then, without warning, one tried to prod her back with his spear. She whirled around, grabbed it, and swinging its end in a neat circle hit him with the blunt end. The guard slumped to the ground, unconscious.

She brought the spear down over her knee with a crack, splitting it neatly in half. She held each of the halves loosely, standing in a balanced fighting position. All of the guards glanced at each other, fear in their eyes. No one wanted to be the first to go up against this Cyclonian foe.

The Storm Hawks were all sitting on the edge of their seat. Starling and Finn had identical expressions of outrage on their faces. "They can't do this!" Finn hissed. "In Decree 103 it clearly states that all ambassadors have diplomatic immunity."

"Yes," Starling replied, "but if we are at war with Cyclonia, it puts us in a state of emergency in which certain laws and decrees can be suspended."

"We're not in a war with Cyclonia!" Finn shot back. "Cyclonis and Ace are the only Cyclonians that have been seen on the face of the Atmos in the last week!"

"Guys, shut up!" Piper yelled, eyes bloodshot. "We're on the same team here. I would expect this from Finn, but Starling?"

"Sorry," Starling mumbled, head down. "I'm just not coping with the stress very well here."

"Hey, it's okay," Finn said, trying to wrap his arm around her in a comforting manner. Piper rolled her eyes. You couldn't get more cheesy if you ordered nachos from Taco Bell (One night, when they had been tired of Junko's cooking, they tried the Fly-Through line. The food had been okay, but the resulting mess took about a week to fully clean up.)

Stork was hiding under his chair. He had been there since the fighting began, and was staying there until it was time to go back home. _I should have never left the Condor,_ he thought. _Bad things always happen when I do._

Despite the fact that he had always been a strong teenager and Junko was a _Wallop_, the two of them could barely restrain the Dark Ace. He struggled as if his own life was in danger, kicking, tearing, and trying in every which way to yank himself free.

"Calm…down," Aerrow panted. "You can't help her. You'll only put yourself in danger."

"I can't just sit and watch while she fights," Dark Ace replied, frantic.

"The plan was for you to stay in your seat!" Junko protested.

"The plan was for them to listen to her," he growled. "The plan went out the window." He wrenched himself out of the Wallop's grip, leaving only Aerrow holding him back.

Aerrow was desperate. "What do you think she would want you to do?" he uttered.

The Dark Ace went limp, giving Aerrow and Junko time to drag him back to his seat and hold him more securely. The Cyclonian warrior, however, had stopped struggling. All he could do was watch.

The guards were taking their time, getting around her in a circle, pushing her into a corner. She couldn't attack one of them, not without giving the rest an opportunity to take her down. She was forced to slowly retreat until her feet reached the back of the main table.

The guards were advancing menacingly, like dogs that have scented their prey. She looked around desperately. She needed some sort of edge, a surprise tactic to throw them off. An idea came to her.

The teenage Cyclonian threw one end of her broken spear into the guards in front of her, causing them to stumble. Gripping the other end, the one with the point, she simultaneously leapt up, did a complete summersault, and landed on the table.

The tip of her spear came down, hovering an inch above the leader's throat.

The Sky Knight Council was in complete disarray. A few members tried to slink calmly to the back exits. Most proceeded to run into the audience, screaming like little girls. Only the leader sat completely still.

The guards had recovered enough to point their spears at Cyclonis.

"Not a step closer," she hissed, "or your leader dies."

"This is useless," the leader calmly protested. "Even if you kill me, you will accomplish nothing. Life in Atmosia will go on. Sooner or later you will have to move, and the guards will arrest you. Surely we can put an end to this nonsense."

Cyclonis trembled. "I'm not a murderer," she said. "I have no intention of killing you. I also have no intention of rotting in your dungeons until you're ready to execute me."

"So we're at a stalemate," he replied.

The doors of the courtroom burst open, and for the third time that day, the audience was stunned into silence by the woman who walked in.

"Minerva," Cyclonis breathed.

"Minerva," the leader echoed. "We're all saved."

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Left you with another cliffhanger…just who is the strange lady from the crystal shop??? Anyway, I promise you'll find out tomorrow (I'm posting a new chapter each day). Meanwhile, review, review, review!


	14. Sky Knight Council, Part 3

Author's note: Thanks, as always, to Tege, Bergie, LethoBion, Nezy, and Love Shall Never Die. You guys are awesome! For all you lazy people out there who also want to be awesome, just hit the "review chapter/story" button on the bottom of the page and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks. Not even Finn and Starling can sue me for writing this after I put that!

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Minerva strode forward, white hair in a bun, glasses pushed up upon her nose, looking slightly like a librarian in her formal attire. Her presence was more efficient at silencing the court than any crystal mallet had been. Just the click of her heels could be heard as she walked forward.

"Lark, darling, put the spear down," she cooed. "Really, I would have expected better from you. Such uncivilized behavior for a princess." Blushing, Cyclonis lowered the tip of her broken spear. She hopped off the table, scattering the guards. The leader rubbed his neck.

"Little Jeremiah, leader of the Sky Knight Council. You've changed so much. You're calmer now. I am so proud of you."

Everyone was just starting to get over the shock of the strange lady bursting in. The audience began to stir a bit. One of the younger members of the Sky Knight Council stood up. "Who are you, crone, and what are you doing in the Atmosian High Court?"

If Minerva was offended, she didn't show it. "Young ones," she kindly chastised, "always so brazen, so fast. Slow down and remember the older customs, and your manners." Despite the fact that she was an unarmed old lady, he reddened at her words and took his seat.

"Now, I have come to witness for Lark. I was there on Terra Yorkia, and I am here to bear witness that what she says is true. Atmos is in a time of great danger, and only if we band together will we survive it."

"Who is she?" Finn whispered.

"I would think you'd remember her from the book," Starling replied in undertone. "Minerva Veneraz."

"_She_ is Minerva Veneraz?" Finn said, shocked.

"What am I missing?" Aerrow asked.

"The Sky Knight Council has been around for centuries, but only recently has it become to governing body for Atmosia. Atmosia used to be ruled by kings and queens," Starling quickly explained. "Minerva was the only daughter of the last king, but she believed in democracy so much that she began a movement to have the Sky Knight Council replace the monarchy, then abdicated her throne. Afterwards, she disappeared off the face of the earth for nearly thirty years."

"She was said to have gone to Cyclonia, as an ambassador," Finn put in. "No one knows if she ever got there, or if she spent the time stranded on a deserted terra…anyway, just about twelve years ago she appeared on Terra Yorkia, and set up a small shop. She's not public about who she is, but she supposedly keeps up correspondence with the Sky Knight Council. Even though she gave up being a queen, everyone on Atmosia still treats her like royalty."

Minerva was smiling patiently. "Now, can we all return to our seats and conduct this trial diplomatically? From the start?" Everyone obeyed.

"Lark, darling, you begin. Explain exactly what you think these shadows are."

Cyclonis returned to the podium, and tapped the small crystal device. Despite all the ruckus, the microphone still worked. "Does everyone know exactly how an Oblivion crystal functions?" The courthouse stirred. Was she threatening them?

"Most people assume it kills you, but in reality, it does not. An Oblivion crystal blasts you into Oblivion. There is literally another dimension that we have named 'Oblivion' that it transports you to.

"One week ago, above my palace, there was a strange storm that had an unnatural concentration of crystal energy. It was not of any crystal native to the Atmos, but when I compared it to all known energy signatures, it was not like any of the weatherworking crystals.

"It was most like an Oblivion crystal."

The court stirred nervously. "What are you trying to imply?" someone called out.

"We are facing a threat that is not of the Atmos," Cyclonis continued. "We are facing a threat that is not even of our universe."

Minerva strode forward, taking over. She reached into her pocket and took out a Holo-crystal. She set it on the table, and set up an enhancer crystal next to it. A giant, life-sized shadow beast now hovered projected over the tabletop. A few women screamed. "This is what we're up against," Minerva said calmly. She set up another projection, this one showing the gruesome remains of a victim. "This is what they can do to us. This is what they wish to do to every living thing in the Atmos."

She stared around, catching the eyes of all the people, making them feel simultaneously guilty and in dire need to pay attention. "You have treated Master Cyclonis ever so rudely," she said softly. Every word was heard, however; you could have heard a pin drop in that courtroom. "She has the crystal technology to protect all Cyclonian Terras with energy fields. She has no reason to come and offer you help against this foe. However, not only is she offering you salvation, she is also willing to share her crystal technology—protections that you have yet to develop—to try to save your people, not hers.

"How did you respond? By trying to haul her off to the dungeons and execute her. Now I think you owe this girl an apology."

Three hours later, the Storm Hawks tiredly trudged back to the Condor. It had been a long meeting. First, despite all that had been said, most of the Sky Knight Council had refused to cooperate without a treaty signed, so Starling and Finn were forced to devise a contract promising truce until the shadow threat had been dealt with. Starling was the true brains behind the treaty, but Finn valiantly tried to lend a hand, even going as far as transcribing three full-length pages for her. A few council members wanted it to last longer than the expanse of the shadow war, while others didn't think a slip of paper would bind Cyclonis to her word. It took Minerva putting her foot down and flat-out ordering everyone to sign to get that out of the way.

Organizing the Sky Knights was a true nightmare. Squadrons didn't want to leave their own terras, or disliked tactics that other squadrons used. In the end, the Council agreed to inform all the squadrons of the threat, the shadows' weakness of all crystal energy, and set up a complete radio channel for all shadow-related occurrences. Though the radio channel was a good idea, as it allowed the less protected Terras to call for help, it was a pain in the neck to set up. It took all the genius of Piper, Stork, and Cyclonis in both mechanics and Crystal Science to get a working channel up.

Finally, everyone agreed that all the Terras of Atmos should get crystal shielding, beginning with those closest to Cyclonia and with larger populations. Unfortunately, this was easier said than done. Creating a full shield took a lot of crystal power and a lot of intricate combinations, and even Piper didn't fully understand it when Cyclonis explained. In the end, they decided that Cyclonis herself would have to go around and personally make shields for all the Terras until others discovered how and began making their own.

On an after note, Minerva wanted a ride home, and the Condor was volunteered. Finn excitedly stated he would give up his room, saying that he could stay with Starling in the guest room, but much to Starling's relief, Minerva declined. "That's sweet of you, dear, but I'm fine staying on a couch in the bridge for a night," she said.

Finn and Starling were rubbing their eyes and massaging cramped hands. "All those stupid treaties…too much writing! This is going to ruin my air guitar," Finn complained.

Stork sprinted towards the Condor as soon as it came in sight. "Home!" he cried. "I never will leave you again!"

Piper, Aerrow, and Junko were just walking silently. Dark Ace was carrying Cyclonis again. She feebly grabbed his neck and rested with her eyes closed. Of all of the Storm Hawks, the Dark Ace looked the least tired; he was a seasoned Cyclonian warrior with a stamina greater than most men. Carrying Cyclonis did not tire him out; in fact, her presence made him feel more awake, more alert. He wished that she might get this tired out more often, so that he would have an excuse to carry her everywhere.

No! He was not going to think those thoughts. He was not going to be as selfish as to wish harm upon his Master for something that he wanted.

"You know, for once, you were actually right about something," Cyclonis mused. "I mean, I was wrong and you were right." Her deep violet eyes stared into his. He got the funny feeling that she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"What is that?" he asked carefully. He was confused—was she being sincere, or sarcastic? Was this another test? His mind was too groggy to think clearly.

"It is a great honor to be carried everywhere by you, not to mention fun." He was shocked. Surely she was teasing him? Not sure what to make of it, he remained silent.

Piper, on the other hand, overheard their conversation. "You got that, Aerrow?" she said, nudging him in the ribs. "It would be great fun to carry me." Aerrow gave her an are-you-crazy? look.

"When you get your own empire and rule a quarter of the Atmos, sure I'll carry you," he replied laughing. "I'll even call you 'Master.' Until then, you're on your own."

Cyclonis scowled. "Now you're making fun of me," she said.

Piper giggled. "Only because I'm jealous," she retorted, smiling widely. "You get a free ride back to the Condor. Us peasants, we have to walk on our own two feet."

Cyclonis decided not to respond to that. They were nearly at the Condor, and she was too tired for verbal bickering, despite how fun-natured it might be. She closed her eyes and rested her head again on Dark Ace's chest again.

Aerrow and Piper made a face, then they all hurried forward into the Condor. Couches on the bridge promised a well-earned respite. Stork and Junko both grabbed armchairs; the third was occupied by Minerva's coat. Finn and Starling sat on the smaller couch while Aerrow, Piper, Dark Ace, and Cyclonis shared the larger one. Cyclonis was still on her trusted servant's lap.

Minerva returned, bearing a pot of tea. "This will be refreshing for all of you, dears," she said kindly. "Now, we really need to talk…"

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One word. Review. Do I need to spell it? R-E-V-…well, you get the picture.


	15. Tea and Talk

Author's Note: Writing is fun, but I wouldn't claim it is easy, especially when I'm supposed to be doing my homework. There are five simple reasons that a chapter is going up every day: LethoBion, Tege, Nezy, Bergie, and, of course, certainly not least (you write the longest reviews!) Love Shall Never Die! You people give me reason to get up in the morning, sit down, and type!

For those of you who have been missing out on the coolness of making my day and convincing me to write new chapters, it's really simple and easy, just press review.

For those of you who really want to sue me (I have no idea who you are, but I still have to put this), I-Do-Not-Own-The-Storm-Hawks. So HA!

Here's your next chappie! Enjoy, then review!

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Everyone except for Master Cyclonis accepted the cup of hot tea gratefully. Cyclonis looked at hers suspiciously, noting the color and the properties of the wafting smoke. Finally, she set her cup down. "Don't drink it, Ace," she ordered. "It'll put you to—" His head fell back, eyes closed. "…sleep."

Cyclonis immediately reached for her bag of crystals, only to realize that she had left them in her room for the trial, as to not threaten anyone. Minerva saw the look on her face.

"Relax, darling," she said. "I'm not going to hurt you. I thought you might want some privacy, for talking. About your mother, your grandmother."

A lump rose in Cyclonis's throat. How did this woman know her family? Meanwhile, Minerva was bringing out two more cups of tea. "The only thing in here is honey," she said with a huge smile. Now, enjoy, sweetheart."

Cyclonis recognized the tea—a mixture of Earl Grey and chamomile, her favorite back when she was young. It seemed as if the tea was fine, but she watched Minerva. The old woman took a large gulp, so suspicions quieted, Cyclonis began to sip, too.

"Now, darling, if I remember correctly, your father forbade you to learn your family history. You never knew much about your grandmother, except from the textbooks, am I right?"

Cyclonis glared at her. "How much do you know about my family? I think a little explanation is in order here."

Minerva smiled. "Of course, darling. Now, as you know, shortly after the Sky Knight Council was all set up as the governing body of Atmos, I journeyed to Cyclonia. They were my two great childhood dreams: democracy, and peace. Confident with how easily I had accomplished the first, I brazenly entered Cyclonian territory. I had not gone ten feet before I reached a squadron of Talons. They laughed so hard when they heard of my mission. By the time they quieted down and realized I was serious, they agreed to escort me to Cyclonia.

"In the throne room, I got a similar reception. Everyone except Master Cyclonis—your grandmother, and she was barely older than you—found it hilarious that I came unarmed on a mission for peace. They threw me into a dungeon cell, no, not a cell—it was a cute little room with a nice bed and desk, rather plain otherwise, with a small bathroom to the side. I was surprised that I was being treated so humanely, and though I was a prisoner, I was content. I knew I had it in me to work out a solution.

"For about a month, I rarely left the cell, except for supervised walks around the palace. Otherwise, I was given papers and quills, and whatever books I wished to read. As I said before, I was content. I knew that they couldn't keep me here forever.

"I was right, for after I had settled in, Master Cyclonis requested my presence. She was in her lab, working on crystals. For a while, she interrogated me, and I gave her as truthful answers as I could. She was surprised about the Sky Knight Council, and suspicious still about why I was here. Still, for a month I hadn't complained or tried to escape, and she told me she was curious.

"I asked her what she was doing, and she explained how she was making crystals. She had almost discovered how to extend the 'frozen' time on a Parlyzer crystal; in a few more days she would have it, and all the Talon weapons would be upgraded. 'Are you a practitioner of Crystal Science?' she asked me. When I shook my head, she laughed, saying, 'Then I'll just have to teach you. And you can give me advice on how to manage the Cyclonian Terras. Congratulations, my new advisor, you've been hired.'

"'Thank you, Master,' I replied politely. 'I didn't know I had been applying for a job. She laughed again. 'You say you want peace. Maybe some lives will be saved when conquering Terras if more diplomacy is used.' I nodded, as this was my chance."

Minerva took a long sip of her tea. Her eyes were starry, as she stared off at distant memories.

"Your grandmother was much like you are, I think. She was a good leader, tactical, smart. She was am absolute genius with crystals. I never truly learned as much as her about using them, or combining them, but I became good enough at the basics. I lived with her for years, and slowly, the Atmos did become a more peaceful place. Cyclonia extended its rule, and for the most part, Cyclonian terras were happy."

Cyclonis nodded. "It's still like that today," she mumbled. "Everyone looks at us like the bad guys. They don't understand: our economies are more stable, and we have no poverty. Everyone has a job, a home, and food every night. No one is denied education. There are good retirement plans for our elderly citizens. Everyone is guaranteed protection from all outside threats. Most people don't even realize that our factories are purely machine and crystal operated. No one is forced to labor against their will."

Minerva shook her head sadly. "Such misunderstanding, and it has always been such. It's your job as the new generation, the future of Atmos, to change things for the better." Cyclonis accepted the responsibility with another nod of her head.

"Your grandmother was a good woman, and people began to respect her instead of fear her. She fell in love with a dashing young Talon caption, married him, and had a daughter, your mother. Unfortunately, shortly after, he died in a battle against the Rex Guardians, and your grandmother was left heartbroken. She threw herself back into her work and left the raising of her child to various nannies.

"By now, I was her personal advisor, scribe, lab partner, and servant in any other various tasks. I was kept so busy in the years her daughter was raised that I didn't get to know her. I first met her on her fifteenth birthday. I remember being shocked, she was so different than your grandmother. She seemed so weak, so easily swayed. She didn't leave the arm of a Talon Commander who must have been at least thirty-eight. I recognized him from when your grandmother pointed him out to me. 'He's not a great fighter, but he's extremely strong, smart, and ambitious,' she said. 'There's no level he's not afraid to stoop to.'

"A year later, your mother was married. No one had any doubt that it was only because she was pregnant."

Cyclonis nodded sadly. "I suspected it was such," she said.

"Your grandmother feared the worst—assassination plots from her son-in-law, so she agreed to abdicate the throne to her daughter. She told me that I had to watch over her daughter, keep her safe. She told me to teach her wisdom, and protect her, and if she ever had a daughter to make sure that 'the future of Cyclonia is bright and strong.' One day before the scheduled ceremony, she was murdered. Abandoning tradition, your father claimed the throne for himself. Everyone was too scared to protest.

"It was dark days for Cyclonia. More blood was shed in conquests than ever. I stayed in the Cyclonian palace, though, as your mother's first servant. She was lonely most of the time—now that she was pregnant with his heir and had given him his throne, he wanted nothing more to do with her. I talked to her, and grew to love her, despite her weakness. I felt ashamed that I had not gotten to know her earlier.

"Seven months later, she had you. Together we took care of you. You were speaking perfectly by age one, and could read and write before age two. We got you the best tutors in the Atmos. I taught you in crystal science for about a month, before you were far beyond my level. You were a little genius when you were still in diapers.

"Your mother grew too. Something about you gave her strength, and she began to see when she needed to stand up for herself. You were five." Tears were welling up in Cyclonis's eyes. "Oh darling, I wasn't sure if you remembered."

"My mother challenged him for the throne," she said in a choked voice. "And he stabbed her, right there, in front of everyone. He looked at me and I knew I wasn't allowed to cry. That's when I stopped being a child, and became the Young Master Cyclonis."

"Oh, Lark," Minerva said, dabbing her eyes. "If I have any regrets in my life, it was that I left. I was so scared, your father had no more use for me, so I just snuck out in the dead of night. I know there's no excuse, though."

For a minute, they just sipped their tea quietly. Finally, Cyclonis spoke. "Thank you," she said. "You were right about the drugged tea. The others didn't need to see this."

Minerva gave her a small smile. "I have something for you—well, two somethings." She reached into her purse and pulled out a Holo-crystal. An older woman who looked much like Cyclonis except that she had some streaks of grey in her hair sat proudly on the Cyclonian throne. "Your grandmother," Minerva explained. "In my opinion, one of the best rulers Cyclonia has ever seen." Cyclonis accepted the gift gratefully. Anything she had that tied her to her family she treasured. Besides this crystal, she only had a small crystal photo of her mother.

Minerva pulled out a small, leather-bound journal. "It's your grandmother's crystal diary," she said. "Most of this stuff you'll already know, but it's set up for easy reference and has marvelous pictures. It has all her experiment notes, too."

Violet eyes wide, Cyclonis clutched the book. "You have no idea how precious this is!" she exclaimed.

Suddenly, she yawned. "It's been a long day," Minerva said. "We really should fall asleep with the others, to not look suspicious."

"I'm not drugging myself up," Cyclonis replied, "especially when I'm tired enough to fall asleep myself." She tucked her two precious heirlooms into a pocket, then closed her eyes. Soon her breathing steadied.

Minerva shrugged, as it was only harmless sleeping pills, then sipped her first cup of tea. Next, she carefully placed it down and sat in her chair, as the world went black around her.

Dark Ace was the first of the Storm Hawks to wake, followed quickly by Aerrow, Junko, and Stork. Piper, Minerva, and Starling were all stirring a few minutes later. Cyclonis was out like she hadn't slept for a week. Considering her recent injuries and nightmares (being knocked unconscious doesn't count as sleeping), it probably wasn't much of an exaggeration.

"Should we wake her?" Piper asked cautiously.

"Let the dear sleep. We'll wake her up for dinner," Minerva replied, so the matter was closed.

Dinner was a quiet affair, as everyone was still tired out. One by one, the Storm Hawks retired to their rooms, and as the Condor's autopilot kept them on course, they sailed safely and silently under the stars.

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	16. Battle of the Guitars

Author's Note: Sorry! Computer broke down last night, so I couldn't upload! ;-(

Okay, so as this is my first fanfiction story, I've been trying to include a little bit of everything: adventure, action, witty (well, I hope it's witty) dialogue… one thing that I've seen a lot of on but never tried myself are the song/fiction hybrids.

However, you know how much I hate repeating things already done (disclaimer, anyone? I do not own the Storm Hawks. There, I said it.) Here is my own _unique_ way of combining music and fiction. Hope you enjoy!

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The Condor was sailing back to Terra Yorkia, and Finn was hot, tired, and wanted to be in the center of attention while annoying as many people as possible. So, naturally, he decided to set up his guitar in the hanger bay. He was rocking out to some half-bad song of his own invention when a cool female hand stopped his from reaching to the next chord.

Starling stood above him. She gently grabbed the guitar from his grasp, not that it was too hard as he surrendered without a struggle. "Some real music?" she asked lightly. "Surely you've heard of the Beatles."

She began to play softly, plucking out an introduction. "Eleanor Rigby. Picks up the rice at a church where a wedding has been. Lives in a dream. Waits at the window. Wearing a face that she keeps in a jar by the door. Who is if for? All the lonely people, where do they all come from. All the lonely people, where do—"

Her playing screeched to a halt as Finn yanked the guitar back, glaring. "You call that music? Then you really need some help from the Finnster. The words don't make sense, plus, it like totally _not_ rock."

Starling smiled. "So, you're challenging me to what, a battle of the bands type thing? To prove whose music is better?"

"Oh, yes! That will be so much fun!" Cyclonis's voice shocked the both of them. Both she and the Dark Ace had entered the room silently, surprising the two arguing musicians. "Though technically, it's more of a 'Battle of the Guitars,' isn't it?"

"Battle?" asked Aerrow, popping in. "Who-Where-When-Get-on-Your-Skimmers!"

"I think they're having a musical face-off!" Piper exclaimed, appearing behind him.

"Starling plays guitar?" Aerrow said, laughing. "I want to see this. The music might actually be listenable to!"

Junko came running in with popcorn. "Radarr brought me!" he panted. "I've got munchies!"

Starling looked smug. "Now you've got an audience," she said. "You can't back down."

Finn decided to play it confident. "Who said anything about backing down? You're the one who's gonna get whooped!" He finished pulling the guitar out of her arms. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll be going first."

He twanged out a long, complicated introduction. "Knights of Cydonia," Cyclonis commented to Dark Ace. "I went through a stage in which I wanted to buy this song, change it's name to 'Knights of Cyclonia,' and make it our theme song."

"Really?" the Dark Ace muttered.

"Yeah," she laughed. "It was just about when Ravess decided to found the official Talons Orchestra and tried to play in the mess hall at lunch and dinner." They shared a smirk. Some things—such as the inability for any sane human to tolerate Ravess's music—never changed.

Meanwhile, Finn had started singing. His playing may have been fairly good, but his voice left something to be desired. "…through the veins of history. I'll show you when God falls asleep on the job. And how can we win? When fools can be king? Don't waste your time or time will….waste…you!"

Cyclonis rolled her eyes. "Really, if we're going to be forced to listen to this, we might as well just call Starling the winner and save our eardrums now before they burst." Finn stopped playing, looking hurt, while Starling snatched the guitar back.

"In the Hall of the Mountain King," she said, before beginning the instrumental. It included the same theme, repeated faster and faster until it reached a crescendo.

"Greatly skilled," Cyclonis commented. "But it's a bit repetitive, don't you think?"

Starling chose to take that as a compliment as she smugly handed the guitar back to Finn. Finn winked at her, and began strumming.

"Oh, no," complained Piper. "This one? Really?"

"Shush!" scolded Aerrow. "Anyway, he's been practicing this one, it actually sounds good!"

Finn had reached the chorus: "I won't he-sa-tate, no more, no more, this cannot wait, I'm sure! There's no need to com-pli-cate, our time is short, this is our fate, I'm Yours!"

Cyclonis giggled. "Wonder why he chose _that_ one."

"Well open up your mind and see like me, open up your plans and damm, you're free. Look into you're heart and you'll find love, love love love _love_!"

Starling was looking at Finn funnily, as if she was seeing him for the first time.

"Hey, Piper," Cyclonis whispered. "Do you think Starling is in love, love love love _love_!"

Finn was onto his final verse. "I've been spending way to much time checkin' my tongue in the mirror, and bendin' over backwards just to try to see it clearer, but my breath fogged up the glass, so I drew a new face and lau-au-aughed. I guess what I've been sayin' is there ain't no better reason, to rid yourself of vanities and just go with the season, it's what we aim to do, our name is our virtue." One more round of the chorus, and he was done, passing off the guitar to the general cheering of the Storm Hawks audience.

Starling looked thoughtful for a minute, then began to play. "Head under water and they tell me, to breathe easy for a while, the breathing gets harder, even I know that."

"What song is this?" Junko whispered.

"Quiet, I'm missing the second verse!" Piper hissed back.

"Blank stares at blank pages, no easy way to say this, you mean well but you make this hard on me. I'm not gonna write you a love song, 'cause you ask for it, 'cause you need one. You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song, 'cause you tell me it's make or breaking this, if you're on your way, I'm not gonna write you to stay. If all you have is leaving I'mma need a better reason to write you a love song today!"

Finn looked hurt. "All is fair in love and war," Starling reminded him, handing back the guitar. Finn smiled. "You gonna play rough…" he said, then charged into his next song.

"She's cold and she's cruel, but she know's what she's doin'!"

Starling scoffed, trying to look haughty and unperturbed.

"She laughs at my dreams, but I dream about her laughter. Strange as it seems, she's the one I'm after! 'Cause she's bittersweet, she knocks me off my feet. And I can't understand, I don't want anyone else. She's a mystery, she's too much for me, but I keep coming back for more…She's just the girl I'm lookin' for."

Starling was red for the rest of the song. Finn gave her the guitar, a superior smile on his face. "We need to get something straight," she said shortly. "Natasha Bedingfield." She strummed the introduction.

"I'm not waitin' around for a man to save me, 'Cause I'm happy where I am. Don't depend on a guy to validate me, no, no. I don't need to be anyone's baby, is that so hard to understand? No, I don't need another half to make me whole.

"Make your move if you want doesn't mean I will or won't. I'm free to make my mind up you either got it or you don't. This is my current single status, My declaration of independence. There's no way I'm tradin' places, Right now a star's in the ascendant! I'm single, right now, that's how I wanna be!"

Both girls cheered. "Sweet song," Piper said. "You rock, Starling!" Aerrow gave Finn a "you win some, you lose some, buddy," look. Finn reluctantly grabbed the guitar back. Despite the fake-devastated look on his face, he wasn't too upset. He did take notice of the lyric, "Make your move, if you want…" _It could have been worse,_ he decided.

He started strumming his next song, a slow one. "In the night I hear 'em talk, the coldest story ever told. Somewhere far along this road he lost his soul,  
To a woman so heartless. How could you be so heartless? How could you be so heartless?"

Starling put her hands on her hips, giving him a look. "You call _that_ music?" she said, interrupting before he could launch into the next verse. "The only word I could understand was 'heartless.' The rest was mush!"

"It's a singing style!" Finn complained, letting Starling have the guitar. Now that he was interrupted he knew he couldn't continue.

Starling took a minute to think before an evil grin lit up her face. "I think we're ready to make this stop, right, girls?" she asked.

Piper stared. "Are you suggesting—"

"What we think you're suggesting," Cyclonis finished. They burst out laughing. "Finn won't last through the second line!" they declared in unison.

"My thoughts exactly!" Starling replied. She began strumming. "You!" She managed to point and play at the same time. "Change your mind." Finn looked like he was going to be sick. "Like a girl." Piper and Cyclonis were in near hysterics, looking at Finn's face. "Changes clothes." Finn looked like he was struggling internally. He placed his hands over his mouth. "And you."

"STOP!" he finally burst. "Girly-music-I-can't-stand-it-you-win-okay-just-stop!" He spoke extremely quickly.

Starling lowered her arm, silencing the guitar. "I can't hear you, I think you need to say it louder and more slowly."

"You win, okay?" he said. "Not through superior playing skills," he added under his breath. "Through superior evilness."

"Politics, darling," she said, laughing. "When you're in a match-up with even, or at least _nearly_ even skills, you win by not being afraid to sink to lower levels."

"That wasn't in the book," he replied.

"I doubt it would be," Cyclonis scoffed. "Unless it was a Cyclonian book."

Starling smiled. "I believe to fully understand a subject, you need to understand all sides of it, including what others might think of as…the darker sides."

Cyclonis looked at Starling with new eyes. "You would have been such an amazing Talon," she said. "Remind me again—what were we thinking when we let you go!?!"

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I'm probably going to have one more chapter with a song (Cyclonis needs one!), next chapter, then back to "normal." You'll get this chapter tonight too!

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to write another disclaimer, but I also don't own any of the songs I used.

To all the people who keep reviewing, thanks so much! You're the best!


	17. Cyclonis's Song

Author's note: Today I just seem to be in the mood for writing songs with my fiction! Anyway, thanks as always to reviewers.

I do not own the Storm Hawks (I hope you've figured it out by now!)

Warning: This chapter is a cry-fest filled with random fluff, cheesyness, and chocolate. Read at your own risk.

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As the Storm Hawks gradually went back to their normal business after Finn and Starling's epic musical showdown, another tune caught Piper and Cyclonis's ears. They made their way back to the hanger bay to see the old lady from the crystal shop, Minerva, gently touching different white and black crystals which hung in a line in front of her. Somehow, she seemed to have _everything_ in that purse of hers—exotic teas, sleeping pills, and now, a rare instrument.

"Bach's Prelude in C," Cyclonis whispered in awe. "On a real Crystal-Keys, too."

Piper examined the strange instrument that was emitting the noise. It was a line of black and white rectangular crystals, with black crystals grouped in two's and three's spaced between the white ones. Minerva was pressing down on the floating keys, each which sounded a different tone. By pressing keys in certain orders or with certain pairs, she made beautiful music.

"Wow," Piper breathed. "That looks complicated."

Minerva's playing grew faster and louder, until she finished with a flourish. "Not too hard, my dear," she cooed. "Lark, darling, now you know how to play, if I remember right."

"I was never particularly good," Cyclonis replied, cheeks tinting pink. Piper scoffed. "Really, I could never stand to learn to play the classics. It was…the more haunting tunes that I liked." She squirmed a bit, looking uncomfortable. "Have you ever heard of _Lord of the Rings_? By Tolkien? It was my favorite book when I was five. There were a few songs written to go along with it, and those were the songs I really loved to play."

Minerva had disappeared, leaving the empty Crystal-Keys, and the temptation, in front of her. "Go on, play me one!" Piper urged.

Cyclonis reluctantly took the seat, then closed her eyes, uncurling her fingers. As if in a trance, they lightly stroked the keys, playing a haunting introduction. "This one was always my favorite," Cyclonis whispered, "Called 'Gollum's Song.'"

A few more scales, then she opened her mouth and softly began to sing, playing in the background. "Where once was light, now darkness falls. Where once was love, love is no more."

Piper stared, shocked, at her best friend. The voice, the playing—she had never heard anything so beautiful, or so sad. "Don't say goodbye." Cyclonis's eyes met Piper's, pleading. "Don't say we didn't try." Her eyes filled with tears.

"These tears we cry, are falling rain." Suddenly, something in them hardened, turning accusing. "For all the lies you told us, the hurt, the blame!" Cyclonis was no longer looking at Piper, or singing to her, but to the phantoms in her past. Voice equal parts hateful and heartbroken, she continued, "And we will weep, to be so alone. We are lost, we can never go home."

Tears were silently streaming down Piper's face. One of the other Storm Hawks must have heard music again, because they all came streaming in. Eyes closed, Cyclonis's pale fingers tapped the interlude.

"So in the end, I'll be what I will be. No loyal friend, was ever there for me! Now we say goodbye, we say you didn't try!"

Her voice was so loud, so powerful. All who listen wanted to flinch at the accusing tones.

"These tears you cry, have come to late." Everyone wiped their eyes guiltily. Cyclonis's voice continued, demanding: "Take back the lies you told us! The hurt, the blame!"

Everyone was shocked. They had all been doing the right thing, hadn't they? They were the good guys, weren't they? Slowly, the Storm Hawks began to realize that maybe it wasn't good or evil, black or white. There were just many shades of grey.

They never considered how Cyclonis felt when they tried to thwart her plans again and again. They never considered that she might have had the right to do the things she wanted to, and it wasn't fair to assume that she had bad intentions.

Cyclonis's voice continued, rising is their ears and piercing their hearts, cursing them with the same burdens she carried. "And you will weep when you face the end alone. You are lost, you can never go home."

Her voice changed, becoming sad, that of a child. "We are lost," she sang softly. "We can never go home."

The music stopped. There was not a dry eye in the hanger bay.

Cyclonis shook her head lightly, as if coming out of a trance, and looked around. Junko was bawling on Finn's shoulder, whose face was also covered in tears. Minerva, Aerrow, and Dark Ace were all wiping their eyes. Starling stood silently, tears glistening on her cheeks. Piper was nearly hysterical, sobbing without sign of stopping. Even Stork was dabbing his eyes.

"This is my fault, isn't it?" Cyclonis said, tears heavy in her voice. "I've made you all cry. I'm a monster!" Then she too broke down.

Suddenly, she found someone hugging her. Piper. "It's okay," Piper whispered, trying to offer solace even though she was crying just as hard. "We're here for you. That's what friends are for."

Starling came over and joined the embrace. "You'll be fine," she whispered, her maternal instinct kicking in. "You're not alone."

Minerva lost it, blowing her nose loudly in a tissue. "That was probably the most beautiful song I've ever heard!" she exclaimed.

Slowly, one by one, everyone offered their consolation before leaving, until just Cyclonis remained in the chair and the Dark Ace standing in the corner.

"I could be like them," he said, his voice cracking. "I could tell you how it's okay, how it will all be fine, but I'm not going to lie to you. I don't understand, not fully, as I had a childhood, parents who cared for me, friends…I do know what it feels like to be looked down on because you're Cyclonian, to be judged before someone knows you. I may not be able to truthfully offer comfort, but I can offer support."

Surprisingly, these words seemed to do more than all of the others combined. "You do understand, at least enough to know that no one ever fully understands. And strangely enough, it makes me feel less alone."

The Dark Ace smiled, eyes glinting. "I also understand another thing."

"What is that?" his Master wondered, wiping her eyes with the heel of her palm.

"I understand that chocolate makes everyone feel better," he replied, whipping a bar out from behind his back.

Cyclonis sprang at him, giving him a huge hug. He raised his arms in the air, the classic "Whoa" gesture, but he was smiling. Broadly.

"You're the best Dark Ace ever," she said, eyes shining.

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Before anyone bites my head off, I want to say that I'm not trying to portray Cyclonis as _weak._ She has had the worst childhood imaginable, and is now being accepted and loved. She has to question everything that she thought as true, and face the demons of her past. She's being forced to deal with burdens and responsibilities that no one—not even an adult—should be made to carry.

Cyclonis is human, and I'm sorry if you don't like that fact.

Next chappie will be up tomorrow, as always!

Other notes: That's probably one of my favorite songs {Golumn's Song}, the first I had learned to play on the piano. When I decided to write "Battle of the Guitars," it just kept playing through my head. I decided if Finn and Starling get a song chapter, Cyclonis deserves one, too, and it seemed to me like a really fitting song for her.


	18. Boot Camp

Author's Note: I was really surprised when I got such nice reviews from Nezy, Hawk-Masters, LethoBion, Tege, Pascy, and Love Shall Never Die about Cyclonis's Song. Sorry if I seemed a bit too defensive about Cyclonis in my afternote. I have two little brothers who'll read my fanfic from time to time, and they tease me every time I put up something mushy!

Anyway, I'm glad you all though it was okay, and imaginary cookies to the people who looked it up on YouTube! You guys are the most awesome, dedicated readers ever! That song totally makes me cry…

Anyway, I don't own the Storm Hawks, and here is the next chapter.

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Goodbyes were not long or drawn out at Terra Yorkia. Cyclonis and Minerva had set up a mixture of Holo-crystals and a radio to create something that no one was really sure how it worked, but it ended up being the Atmosian version of a Video Chat. With her half of the contraption and carefully drawn plans for making a shield, Minerva was off. "By, dearies," she said. "We'll keep in touch."

Then the Condor was gone.

The basic plan was to stay by the Terras near Cyclonian territory and make crystal shields. The flaw in that plan was that it took about a day to reach the Terras they needed to, and they had to pick up crystals to make the shields. Cyclonis had already used all of the Condor's extra shielding crystals to put up a makeshift force field around the ship.

Everyone was in the same situation they were in a week ago: no Cyclonians to fight, nothing to do but travel. However, no one laid around bored; Starling had started a boot camp in the hanger bay.

"Ok, we're doing hand to hand combat. Piper, you have a question?" Starling barked.

"Um, Cyclonis was going to try to explain how to make the shields to me again. If I can understand it, we can make plans to distribute to Terras. It would save us time and energy!" Piper gave her a happy smile.

"Fine," Starling grumbled. "You two can go." Cyclonis, Piper, and Stork all rose to leave. "Stork, where are you going?"

"I need to mind the ship. I think were going off course," Stork mumbled. "The last time we ended up in the Great Expanse, and I was attacked by mind worms. Long story."

Starling let him go too.

Junko raised his hand. "Can I lift weights?" he asked hopefully.

Starling placed her head in her hands. "Yes, fine, sure, get out of my sight!"

"Thank you, Sir! Or, um, Ma'am! Or do you prefer sir? Because you are a g—"

"Go!" Starling's plans were falling out of the window. Any organized training, no, make that organized _anything_ with the Storm Hawks never seemed to work out.

"Now, hand to hand combat. What is it now, Dark Ace?"

"Number one, I take commands from Master Cyclonis only. Number two, why am I doing this again? Number three, Aerrow and I don't really need hand to hand combat. We do it all the time. Aerrow, however, doesn't really know how to shoot energy bolts from his dagger without using his special move. I could teach him, if you'll dismiss me, _sir._" The Dark Ace sneered slightly.

Aerrow was jumping up and down. "Oh, please! I really want to know how to do it! Please! This is, like, the opportunity of a lifetime!"

"Fine," Starling said. "Dark Ace, if you use this as an opportunity to blast him then I will personally hunt you down and kill you."

"You know, you'd be a bit more threatening if you stopped smiling," Dark Ace retorted, then he and Aerrow were off, setting up targets.

Starling looked let down. "I suppose you need a sandwich," she said sadly.

"What, the Finnster? I need this lesson more than anyone else! I only shoot my crossbow, I'm done for if it gets smashed or otherwise destroyed! Start you lesson, oh wise sensei!" Finn gave what he thought was a winning smile. When Starling wasn't looking, he winked at Junko. "Tcha-cha! Score one for the Finnster! One-on-one combat with Starling herself!"

Junko rolled his eyes and continued lifting what looked like five hundred pounds.

On the landing pad, Aerrow was setting up the target: a crudely drawn portrait of his arch-nemesis. "I don't know whether to be insulted or proud," Dark Ace said, shaking his head. "But seriously, that looks nothing like me."

Aerrow was red. "Well, since you've been on our team and all, we haven't had much of a chance to replace it…"

"Kid, is this a fighting lesson or an art lesson? Get over here and take out your daggers."

Aerrow obeyed. "Now, do you know how to shoot the energy?" he asked. Aerrow shook his head.

"I've done it before, but most of it is sort of instinctual, like in the heat of a battle."

Dark Ace sighed. "Ok, well, do your special Lightening Thingy—it has the basic form for regular shooting. We'll take it from there."

Aerrow looked uncomfortable. "I haven't figured out how to do it on command," he said. "It just kind of happens when I'm fighting and mad."

The Dark Ace face-palmed. "Watch carefully," he said, then jumped in the air. His eyes glowed red, and a deep crimson aura seemed to shine all around him. Lightening cracked in the air. Finally, a huge bolt of red energy shot from his blade, and completely decimated the target.

Aerrow stared in awe. "I'll get the mind worm target," he said.

With the second target set up, Dark Ace continued giving Aerrow a pep talk. "Come on, Mister Competitive. You just saw your arch nemesis do it, surely you can yourself."

Aerrow looked uncertain.

"Come on!" Dark Ace urged. "Try, at least."

Aerrow raised his blades and jumped, nearly falling. "I can't!" he complained.

"Again!"

This time, when he jumped, his eyes sparkled with blue energy. However, he completely failed at landing, ending up sprawled across the ground.

"Closer! One more time! Third time's the charm."

Aerrow leapt up, glowing blue all over, then with great difficulty, he shot a glowing bolt of energy towards the target. It fizzled and hit the ground three feet to the left of the target.

The Dark Ace sighed. "It's a start."

Inside the hanger bay, Finn was receiving his first ever lesson on what to do if your weapon goes missing. "Now, get in a fighting stance," Starling said. Finn tried to obey. "Not bad, but bend your knees a bit more. You need to have a firm foundation while still being able to move. Now, do you know the major targets?"

Finn paid more attention than he had to anything before as Starling explained the basics of fighting. He listened to how to move around, block, get out of the way, and throw in a punch or two of your own. Starling was also impressed—much to her surprise, Finn was a fairly good student. What he lacked in natural ability he made up for in sheer determination and commitment.

"Ok, you know about as much as you're going to learn in a day about fist fighting. We're moving on to Sky-Fu and Tae Quan Do. Now, I want you to come behind me and grab me around the waist." Finn just stared at her like she'd grown wings. "Finn? Are you okay? Are you sure you don't want a sandwich, because you're drooling."

Finn blushed. He mumbled something incoherent then stood behind Starling and grasped her tightly.

Finn got to enjoy his bear hug for about two seconds, until Starling flipped him over and he soared into a bunch of crystal crates. An explosion crystal, badly harmonized, flew out, and hit the wall, letting out its destructive power. Finn was blown backwards on top of Starling and the interior of Piper's crystal lab suddenly had a new door to the hanger bay.

Cyclonis held back the force of the explosion and the remains of the wall with the shielding crystal she and Piper had been making. Without her quick thinking and skill, there was little doubt in anyone's mind that the two girls' fate would have been similar to that of the no-longer-in-existence wall. There was an awkward silence.

"Can you people do anything without me? Seriously, you could have knocked!" Cyclonis complained, breaking the uncomfortable atmosphere. Finn sighed in relief.

Cyclonis examined the sheet of paper in her hand. "You're right, Piper, this will work." She grabbed a crystal from her pocket and concentrated. Soon the paper began to glow, and replicated, until about twenty fell into a neat stack. "It's like the Infinity Stone you came in contact with, except much more common," she explained. "It only recreates mundane objects, not crystals or people."

She placed the stack of papers on Piper's desk, then grabbed her friend and stepped through the wall. "Let's take Starling's lesson," she exclaimed, fixing up the explosion with another crystal. "We can distribute our shield plans tomorrow."

"Why does everyone suddenly care about my lesson once we start blowing things up?" came a grumpy voice from under Finn.

Piper giggled. "We got our work done, Starling. There's no need to be in such a bad mood! Though you are rather calm for the fact that Finn is lying on top of you."

"Finn, I'm going to give you one second to get off, and then I will throw you off."

Finn scampered up. "You could ask nicely, you know," he sulked. He wasn't very pleased about Piper and Cyclonis joining his _private_ lesson.

"Now, let's go over pressure points…"

Stork was steering the Condor, as he always was. Many people thought it got boring, but he was never alone.

"I know, little buddy! The others are the crazy ones, letting Cyclonians on the ship, and they don't even believe me about mind worms! One day, I'm going to discover the antidote, and save them all!"

Radarr jumped up and down, communicating in his mixture of squeaks and actions.

"What is that, little buddy? It might be good that the Cyclonians are here? _They_ might be good? Are you serious? Yes, her song was pretty. Oh, come on, Starling's songs are cool, but that doesn't make her a good person. Now, wait a second, one of those evil masterminds called you cute, didn't they? That's what this is all about!"

Radarr shrugged, then hit his tiny blue fist against his palm three times.

"Rock-Paper-Scissors for who drives? Fine. I need to catch up on my Merbian Darkness Poetry anyway!"

Radarr grinned, and took the wheel.

"You're my best friend too, buddy. I mean, you might officially be Aerrow's pet, but I'm the one who feeds you, right? ....What do you mean, you don't have favorites? Traitor!"

_SQUAK! _An unlucky pigeon was flying too near to the two males on the landing pad, and was hit by a bolt of blue. Dark Ace had yet to miss a shot. Aerrow had yet to hit the target.

"At least you managed to shoot this time?" Dark Ace tried to suggest hopefully. He had never been good at raising morale or optimism in general.

A laugh stopped him. It was familiar sounding, but cheerful, lighthearted. His mood instantly lightened. "Care to let me in on the joke, Master?" he asked.

"It's just, I saw you trying the correct his form and the first thing that crossed my mind was 'Those two could have been brothers.' Then, I thought, 'Who am I kidding, that's Aerrow of the Storm Hawks. I'm going to be plotting his downfall in a couple of weeks.' Then, I wondered if Cyclonia would really have to go back to war with the Atmos, or if we could expand in a more peaceful manner. It crossed my mind next that these brain-worm thingies might be real if I were thinking such thoughts. Finally, I wondered, 'Why in the world do you lose half the time against this kid who can't even blast a badly drawn target.'"

Aerrow started laughing to. "I just started wondering that myself! The last one, I mean."

The Dark Ace scowled. "You do quite a lot of thinking."

Master Cyclonis shrugged. "It's what I'm best at. Speaking of greatest talents, come join the lesson over here! Aerrow's probably all blasted out, and we're just starting sparring! We could use a few extra people!"

Aerrow gave him a hopeful look. "You just want to beat me at something, don't you, kid?" Dark Ace asked suspiciously. "I'm warning you, you don't have a chance!"

Aerrow grinned cheekily. "You never know unless we try out!"

Everyone stood in a line. Dark Ace and Aerrow were standing next to each other. "Brothers," Cyclonis whispered under her breath. They both shot her the same look simultaneously.

"I'm choosing the pairs," Starling said haughtily, waiting for them to settle down. Everyone groaned at exactly the same time. "Aerrow and I are both Sky Knights, so we'll spar. Piper, I want you to pair off with Dark Ace, see how to protect yourself if your assailant is bigger than you. Um, Finn,--"

"I know, this is punishment for the guitar thing. I'm with Cyclonis." Finn looked genuinely scared.

Dark Ace and Piper were fairly well paired off. Dark Ace was far stronger and more experienced, but Piper was lighter, slightly faster, and well-trained in Sky-Fu. Although it was obvious who was the master, Piper managed to hold him off quite well when he fought easy.

Starling and Aerrow were also a good match. Aerrow relied much on instinct, improvising, and luck in his technique. Starling, however, always seemed to have a plan and used the environment to her advantage. Aerrow found that for once, his fighting skills weren't enough—he was going to have to think if he could defend himself. He tried a few tricks that he had practiced, faking, rolling over, leaping up, and with good results. "Great!" Starling encouraged. "You should be creative, just don't let your creativity get in the way of your technique." Aerrow threw a long punch, which she easily blocked, then his legs swept through hers. Starling twisted on the ground to bring him down, too, but he leapt over. "That's it!" she said as she jumped back up with a spinning kick.

Finn was being devastated. Master Cyclonis may have always fought with crystals, but that didn't mean she wasn't taught to defend herself in as many ways possible. What she lacked in strength, stature, and body mass, she easily made up for in cunning and sheer speed. Also, she seemed to know every pressure point on the body perfectly, so every time she got past his defenses, which was quite often, he was paralyzed on whatever body part for half a minute. Finn was desperately retreating. He backed out of the hanger doors, and onto the landing pad.

He was retreating so quickly he didn't notice his skimmer until he bumped into it. Quickly, he grabbed his crossbow, whipping around to fire a perfect shot on the small whirlwind of ferocity.

Master Cyclonis reacted instantly, sailing above him, dodging the blast. Unfortunately, they were on the landing pad, and she soared straight off the edge.

"NOOOOO!" The Dark Ace abandoned his fight with Piper and ran to where his Master was standing. He was about to leap of himself when Aerrow grabbed him.

"Look!"

Master Cyclonis wasn't falling to her death—she was floating up rather smugly. "Dark Ace, stop making a fool of yourself. Or do you not realize that I always carry levitation crystals in my crystal pouch?" The Dark Ace's checks reddened. He yanked himself out of Aerrow's grip.

"Thanks for stopping me from hurtling myself off the edge for no reason," he finally grumbled.

"Anytime!" Aerrow replied happily.

"It's lunchtime, people, and if you don't want Merb cabbage I'd suggest you come to the kitchen right now," came Stork's voice from over the loudspeaker. The seven quickly raced in. Training was one thing, but lunch took priority.

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If I get enough reviews, next chappie will be up tonight. If not, until tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!


	19. Aerial Keep Away

Author's Note: I am such a spoiled writer. I am really, really lucky to have so many people who will read and review my chapters! Thank you all! Nezy, Hawk-Masters, Love Shall Never Die, and Tege, you peeps are the best! Yipee!

I'm-so-excited-I-don't-even-mind-writing-this-disclaimer-I-do-not-own-the-Storm-Hawks! *whew, it's hard to say that all in one breath*

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"So, what are we doing after lunch, sensei?" Finn wanted to know. "Your favorite game? Maybe? Please?"

Starling smiled. "You mean aerial keep-away? I don't see why not. Who's picking teams, though?"

Stork quickly made his opinion known. "I'm staying on the Condor; the Stork-Mobile is under renovations."

"That's fine," Cyclonis said, taking control. "I get Dark Ace and Piper, you can have Finn, Junko, and Aerrow."

Everyone was nodding. The teams seemed fair enough.

There was such a rush for everyone to get to their skimmers that no one noticed a small black bag clatter to the floor, caught on a pipe.

"Everyone knows the rules," Finn said lazily, loading the bright, multi-faceted crystal into his crossbow. "Three, two, one, go!" He let the shot loose, and five skimmers and one Heliscooter raced towards the edge. Master Cyclonis simply jumped over, choosing the speed and maneuverability of crystal flight over a machine.

Starling, whose skimmer was modified to be as fast as possible without compromising its protection, was the first to reach the falling crystal. She snatched it from the air, and sped in a circle.

"Thanks!" Taken by surprise by Cyclonis's sheer speed, Starling didn't notice the girl soar over her. The ruler of the Cyclonians clutched the crystal, tossing it to Piper.

"Hyah!" Junko rammed his skimmer into Piper's, causing her to spin out of control for a few precious seconds. However, his reflexes were not up for catching the small stone, and it slipped just out of his reach, plummeting to the Wastelands.

Aerrow and Dark Ace both dived after it. Cyclonis saw them falling and dropped after them.

"Pull out!" she shouted over the roar of the wind. "You're going to crash your skimmer!" Dark Ace gnawed his teeth in frustration. On the one hand, he loved his skimmer, and would never crash it, but on the other, he simply _couldn't_ let Aerrow win. Making up his mind, he leapt off, extending his glider wings as he plummeted further.

Aerrow saw what he was doing and quickly jumped after him, Radarr taking over control of the skimmer. However, he couldn't quite catch up with man ahead of him.

Above, Cyclonis had taken over the controls of Dark Ace's skimmer. She was a girl of many skills, and "pilot" just happened to be one of them.

The Dark Ace snatched the crystal from the air, and at the last second, extended his glider wings and pulled up. Grumbling in frustration, Aerrow followed suit.

The Dark Ace landed lightly behind Cyclonis, taking his seat in back of his young Master. He was so close that he could feel the heat radiating from her slight body as he reached around her for the wheel. She turned to glare at him. "Personal space, Dark Ace?" she said condescendingly.

"You're the one who stole my seat!" Ace shot back.

"Because your skimmer would have crashed if I didn't!"

"While you lovebirds are so busy arguing, I'll take that!" Aerrow snatched the crystal out of the Dark Ace's hands. They both reddened.

"We're not together!" Cyclonis screamed. "Get that through your heads!" Piper started chortling. "What?" Cyclonis asked, short in temper.

"SNUGGLEBUNNY!" Piper yelled before rolling over, tears of hysteria pouring down her cheeks. If possible, Cyclonis turned more red. She leapt off the skimmer.

Aerrow tossed the crystal to Finn, who tossed it around a bit, before loading it into his crossbow and shooting it to Starling. Piper calmed herself down and raced to Starling's side.

"You really think you can grab this from me?" Starling asked, holding her crystal up and away from Piper.

"Nope, I'm just the distraction," Piper replied, smiling, as Cyclonis appeared and snatched it again.

"Really?" Starling said, cursing at her own stupidity. "I seriously fell for this twice?"

Aerrow was now diving after Cyclonis, but as much as he excelled at pulling off dangerous aerial tactics, he simply couldn't match her litheness. She twisted happily above him as he clumsily spun after her before she swooped beneath him, leaving him in empty sky.

She landed lightly on the Dark Ace's wing, tossing him the crystal before shooting off again. Dark Ace pulled his skimmer through a series of twists and turns, ending up next to Piper. He handed her the crystal.

"Thanks!" Piper said, before speeding away.

Finn and Junko urged their skimmers after her, sandwiching her between them. Suddenly, a small dark blur knocked Finn off of his skimmer. "Shouldn't have taught us that kick!" Cyclonis mockingly called up.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Finn groaned, then he landed on the nose of Starling's skimmer. Painfully.

Starling pulled up to where his own skimmer was hovering, and carefully dumped him back in his own seat. "Thanks?" he said uncertainly, eyes crossed.

"Remember to block next time," Starling replied, shaking her head.

Meanwhile, Piper and the Cyclonians were teasing Aerrow and Junko by tossing the crystal centimeters within their reach. Aerrow would have been able to get most of them, except for the fact that they timed it so that Junko was always somehow in the way. Aerrow swerved, barely managing to miss decimating Junko's skimmer for the um-teenth time. "Whoa!" screamed Junko, wobbling through the luckily-empty sky. He was good at smashing things, but precision and flying put together? It was a recipe for trouble.

Cyclonis landed on the nose of his skimmer, crystal glistening in her hand. "Ghuergaaaaah!" Junko screamed, smashing his controls in frustration. They sparked, fizzled, and went out. Junko screamed again, hitting them, hoping to reconnect the vital circuit as he plummeted towards the Wasteland. Finally, the engines came back on and he pulled out.

He looked up to see Aerrow try to pull an upside-down trick on Dark Ace. Ace pulled his controls, flipping his own skimmer, and they flew together for a few meters, a little upside-down stack. Then they both looped around in opposite directions, and Dark Ace dropped the crystal into Cyclonis's waiting hands.

"This is for Starling," Finn mumbled, shooting a blue energy blast from his crossbow. It took Master Cyclonis by surprise, and she dropped the crystal. Finn grabbed it and tossed it to the purple-haired Interceptor.

"Thanks!" Starling called.

Cyclonis was staring at her blasted hand, fury igniting in her eyes. Dark Ace had seen her mad at certain failures, but he had never seen her lose her cool like this. In her point of view, all but two things disappeared: Finn, and oh-so-sweet revenge. She shot after him like a purple arrow.

"What did I even do?" Finn moaned as the scary Cyclonian stalked up his wing. All the Storm Hawks were watching; they were unsure whether to intervene or not.

"You. Chipped. My. Nailpolish!" Cyclonis growled. "You will pay the price."

Finn giggled nervously. "But you can fix that, right?" he squeaked.

Cyclonis lost her evil scary look and shrugged. "I guess," she said, then smiled evilly again. "But revenge is so much more fun." She snatched his crossbow and tossed it over the side.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Finn screamed, diving after it. Unfortunately, he was not as skilled as Dark Ace or Aerrow at pulling up, and got his hair scorched by a magma beast as he grabbed it back. Without his help, his team had quickly lost their crystal.

Cyclonis was in possession of the crystal now, and she hovered near Piper, whom she handed it off to. "I think this game is pretty much over," Piper stated. "We rocked—admit it!"

The other team reluctantly nodded their agreement.

"I've got to say," Piper continued, "You're a real expert on those crystals, Lark! I've never seen anyone fly like that! You aren't even holding your levitation crystal…where is it?"

"I keep them all in my little black pouch on my—" Cyclonis reached towards her belt, only to find that there was nothing.

"Guys?" Stork's nervous voice crackled over the skimmers' intercoms. "There's a strange little black bag at the exit of the dining room. It's filled with crystals. Will someone assure me that you know whose it is and it's not going to explode on me?"

Cyclonis was turning pale, which was saying something, as she already had stark white skin. She fumbled in the air, falling a few feet before catching herself. Her breath came in short, fast jerks.

She felt the crystal energy in her mind. She was reaching into it, using it. The only problem was, she wasn't using a crystal. So what power source was she using?

Combining crystals with sheer willpower was weird enough. Now, she was gaining strange powers to use a crystal without the crystal?

She was hyperventilating.

"Guys?"

"Um, it's okay, it's ours," Aerrow quickly radioed back.

Everyone was circling the panicking girl, who was somehow flying even though all the laws of science, crystal and gravitational, stated otherwise. "Um, could someone tell me what's going on?" Finn whined, breaking the silence.

"Cyclonis is flying," Starling hissed back.

"I can see that! Anyone can fly with a levitation crystal!"

"Except for the fact that she unknowingly left her levitation crystal on the Condor!"

"Oh. _Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh._ Wait, so why is she flying?"

Master Cyclonis was having a full blown panic attack. Of all the stupid things for life to throw at her, to toss out the laws of physics? She loved her knowledge. Everything that she had ever known about science collapsed in her mind. She was trembling.

Suddenly, she was somehow in Dark Ace's arms. He was so strong, so loyal. She held onto him as if he were the last thing in the world.

"We're going back to the Condor," he said, facing the rest of the Storm Hawks. "Now!"

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Next chappie is already written, so review, review, review, and you'll get it today!


	20. Starling's Story and Other Hodgepodge

Author's Note: This was a fun chapter to write, tying up all the loose ends…

Thanks to Love Shall Never Die, for being the first to review the last chapter. You're the real reason this is going up today!

Other prodigious reviewers that I am infinitely grateful to include: Hawk-Master, LethoBion, and Pascy. As always, you guys make it worth it to write!

I do not own the Storm Hawks.

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The six aerial vehicles skidded to a halt in the hanger bay. Dark Ace leapt off his skimmer, still holding Master Cyclonis, who seemed to have calmed down a bit.

"How do you do that?" Aerrow asked.

"What, dismount from my skimmer so quickly? I've seen you do that before—don't go telling me that's just instinctual too."

Aerrow blushed, remembering his failure at the targeting practice. "I meant you always seem to be carrying her around. Are you just really strong, or what?"

Dark Ace smirked his evil grin. "No, she's just as light as a feather. You want to hold her?"

Aerrow held out his arms to receive the slightly peeved teenager. Cyclonis did not like where this was going.

"Aerrow, hand me back." Aerrow ignored her. "Aerrow, please." Silence. "Now!"

Piper and the others were giggling at Cyclonis's discomfort. "Can I try?" Piper asked.

"Sure!" Aerrow replied, handing over the not-so-menacing-looking leader of the Cyclonians.

"Piper, if I had my crystals with me I would blast you," Cyclonis hissed.

"Oh, lighten up," Piper said, grabbing her. Her eyes widened in surprise. "I take that back—don't lighten up. If you weighed anything less, you'd float away."

Cyclonis was not having a good time at all. She had always been small and light, and she never liked it—shouldn't the evil empress who was set on conquering the known world have an imposing stature? It was always so embarrassing when captured Sky Knights came to the throne room, and they had to make a comment like, "But you're just a kid," or, "You're a girl," or, worst of all, "You're short."

Cyclonis liked being in power, in control, and right now, she was neither of these. It was humiliating to be passed around like a sack of potatoes so everyone could "Ooh" and "Ahh" at how little she weighed.

"Junko—feel this! Cyclonis weighs nothing!" Junko accepted her from Piper, lifting her up in one hand, a large grin plastered across his face.

"I bet even Finn could hold you," he said, plopping her into the blonde's arms.

Finn's blue eyes widened as he stared into her angry purple slits, then he began to relax. "Bet you wish you never messed with the Finnster now," he taunted.

Starling walked in on the circle of giggling kids. "What's going on here now?" she asked. "Seriously—I leave you for one minute, to change the power crystal in my Skimmer engine…"

"We're all carrying Cyclonis," Piper chuckled. "I don't think she likes it very much."

An evil smile appeared on Starling's face. "I'm finally ready for my revenge," she said. "Hand her here." Cyclonis gulped.

"Finn, please! I thought we were friends! Finn, don't do it!" She never stood a chance. Finn would do anything Starling asked.

"You are quite light," Starling said. "No wonder you blasted that poor Sky Knight when he made a comment. I swear, I would have though you could have kept your temper better in your own throne room!"

"That was a year and a half ago!" Cyclonis protested.

"I agree," Starling replied. "You're even lighter now. RADARR!"

Aerrow looked confused. "I feel like I'm stealing Finn's line here, but I don't get it. What did she do to you that was that bad?"

Cyclonis looked guilty. "Before you judge me too badly," she said quickly, "I want you to realize that I was in a really bad mood that day. Carver had just failed me, my Talons were crashing their Skimmers right and left, Terra Gale had begun a rebellion…I needed something to cheer me up, make me laugh."

Starling's eyes narrowed. "She took me to her rooms, painted my nails and toenails purple, did my hair and makeup, put me in a dress and heels, and sent me on a blind date with Snipe!"

Cyclonis couldn't stop herself from laughing. "It was amazing. Snipe grunted and burped the entire time, and then they….they danced in the Cyclonian Palace Ballroom. Ravess played the music, too. Dark Ace caught the entire thing on Holo-crystal! I could barely restrain myself from smiling for the next week, because every time someone came into my throne room and I turned around to greet them, she was standing in her cute little disguise glaring at me!"

Finn looked disgusted. "You? Dated Snipe?"

Starling rolled her eyes. "He shoved food into his mouth with the worst table manners imaginable, then stepped on my feet for half an hour. I swear he broke three of my toes. If you count that as a date, then yes, I dated Snipe."

"Snipe was searching around the palace for weeks," Cyclonis continued, "looking for the pretty Talon he had dinner with. He couldn't find her, even though she was right there guarding the throne room. He even asked Starling if she had seen his date once—the look on her face was priceless!"

Starling smirked. "Well, the look on your face is going to be priceless. Finn, take a picture. Radarr, you ready?"

Cyclonis was panicking. "Don't you dare hand me to Radarr! That would be the most undignified, humiliating—"

Starling handed her to Radarr.

Radarr found it quite easy to carry the petite teen. Of course, very few people realized that he was a rare hybrid between an Ottsel and a legendary blue rabbit. Like an ant, who could carry ten to fifty times their own body weight, he was unproportionally strong. Luckily for Starling, this didn't make the picture of the little blue critter carrying the cringing Master any less hilarious.

Radarr handed a disgruntled Cyclonis back to Dark Ace. She latched around his neck with a viselike grip. "Um, personal space, Master?" Dark Ace teased.

"Who cares about your personal space! I'm not letting you hand me off again," she fumed.

"I prefer angry about a practical joke than freaking out about some weird crystal phenomenon."

Cyclonis was reminded yet again about what a great servant Dark Ace was. He was always thinking of her, and even when it seemed like whatever he was doing had no reason, it never was pointless.

"Thanks," she said, loosening her grip a tad bit. "Let's get to the bridge of the ship. I want to contact Minerva; if anyone knows what's going on, she will."

Stork was standing with the little black bag pinched in one hand as if it were volatile and dangerous, which, knowing Cyclonis's taste in crystals, it probably was. He dumped it onto her before returning to his usual place on the wheel.

Piper had grabbed the weird crystal contraption and was setting it up in the middle of the room. There were a few bursts of static, then a semi-transparent image of Minerva beamed at them all.

"Darlings! So nice to see you again! But it hasn't even been a day. What trouble have you managed to get into now?"

Piper quickly explained what happened. Minerva looked just as confused as the rest of them. "Normally, I'd say that it wasn't possible, but Lark was doing things with crystals that I'd never seen before when she was three. If anyone were to develop…levels of mastery yet unreached, it would be her.

"I have an old book on crystal binding that your grandmother gave me." The hologram of Minerva grunted, reappearing with a huge tome. "I swear, this weighs more than you, Lark," she groaned. For some reason she didn't understand, this caused all the Storm Hawks to laugh.

"I've never seen that book before," Cyclonis said, ignoring the comment.

"I doubt you would. It's such a treasure, the only one of its kind—for the longest time, it was in the Cyclonian library, but your grandmother gave it to me for safekeeping. Now, there's a chapter here on strange effects of Binding…

"Let's see, it does say that a few rare individuals who are talented at Binding can succeed in combining two low-power crystals. Half the time the resulting energy kills them. It said nothing about gaining powers to use crystals. Lark, now you combined a lot of shielders and levitation crystals, did you not? I'm surprised it didn't affect you more—though they're by far not the most powerful, I wouldn't call them low-energy."

Cyclonis looked embarrassed. "Well, the first time we Cyclonians encountered the shadows, I had to do something…I may have made a crystal."

Piper rolled her eyes. "She combined two Oblivion Crystals, two Paralyzers, an Icer, and a Firebolt Crystal."

Minerva stared in shock.

"Then she used it to turn everything within a 1000-foot diameter into dust."

Minerva blinked once, slowly collecting her thoughts. Finally, she spoke. "I'm guessing that the sheer magnitude of crystal power which you used altered your DNA, somehow giving you power over crystals in general." She sighed. "It's a wacko theory, but I don't think it's far off the mark."

The little color that Cyclonis naturally had was returning to her cheeks. "Thanks," she said. "I needed that. A scientific explanation that would make this all make half a bit of sense. That the world isn't going completely crazy on me."

Minerva smiled knowingly, then changed the subject. "Your plans of the shielding crystal matrix are beautifully detailed," she praised. "I've sent to batched of force-fields out already, with set-up instructions and all! You won't have to worry about Terra Gale or Terra Saharr for now!"

The Storm Hawks and the old ex-queen exchanged polite conversation for a few minutes, then she had to go. "Talk to you tomorrow, dearies, unless Lark grows wings or something!"

"Don't go giving her ideas," Aerrow laughed, then she disappeared in a burst of static.

"Who's making dinner tonight?" Junko asked, his mind on food as always.

"I will."

Everyone looked at Master Cyclonis in surprise.

"I want something to do with my hands, to keep me busy," she quickly explained.

"I have the antidotes for all the deadliest poisons found in the Atmos, so don't get any ideas," Stork mumbled.

Dark Ace deposited her in the kitchen, while they all settled down in the adjourning dining room. Cyclonis whirled around, grabbing ingredients, chopping and mixing.

"I'm curious, where did she learn to cook?" Aerrow asked. "Is there anything she can't do?"

"I'm right here," Cyclonis pouted. "How to cook—it's a long story. Shortly after I assumed my throne there wasn't much to do, everything was going smoothly. I went to the Cyclonian palace library, and I realized I had read just about all the books. The only ones left were _cookbooks._

"For about two days, I put up with it, learning how to roll a flaky crust in my free time, until I couldn't stand it anymore. That's when I ordered the raid on Terra Scribere."

Starling laughed. "I always wondered why—you had no reason to conquer them, rumors were that your Talons made off with about five hundred books, all not really related to each other. The Sky Knight Council puzzled over it for weeks, wondering if it were some new trick, or if there were some piece of information you were looking for. They were especially confused because some of the books were fiction!"

Cyclonis smiled, whipping three steaming pizzas out of the oven. Everyone's mouths started watering. Dark Ace hurried over and grabbed two of them, helping her carry the amazing looking food to the table.

All but Stork, who was eating Merb cabbage, heaped as much pizza as possible onto their plates.

"Eigh tweunk," Finn began, then swallowed as Starling shot him a glare, "I think that this really is a conspiracy. With Starling and Cyclonis cooking, we're being spoiled by good food. We're all going to starve when they have to go!"

Everyone laughed, except for Stork, who took it seriously. "It would be so much easier to slip a poison into our meals…take the Silent Death, made from a rare plant in the Black Gorge: it's colorless, odorless, and otherwise impossible to recognize in food or drink, but it will kill you, slowly and painfully. Or, the…"

The Stork Hawks chortled at that too. Only Stork would take paranoia to such levels.

A marvelous smell began to fill the mess room (it wasn't a so much a mess hall, as hall implies more space, but it certainly was a mess). Cyclonis leapt up and ran back to the kitchen, putting on oven mitts and grabbing whatever was making everyone's mouths water.

Brownies.

Stork decided he didn't care about poisons anymore as they all reached to grab a piece.

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Brownies are amazing! Imaginary brownies to all those of you who review!


	21. Truth or Dare

Author's note: Sorry. I had to do it. I just couldn't resist. I thought I'd change things up a bit, and write my note slightly differently…

Cyclonis: I have brownies, people! *pulls out batch of delicious, steaming brownies*

Me: What in the world are you doing?

Cyclonis: You promised your reviewers brownies! I thought I might bring them.

Me: Well, thank you to Pascy, Nezy, Love Shall Never Die, Hawk-Masters, and Yumi-temme for reviewing as always, but really, I know I would be so freaked out if you came and gave me brownies. I mean, you are the evil ruler of Cyclonia and all.

Cyclonis: *smiles* I still make the best brownies in the Atmos! *passes brownies around* Oh, and Love Shall Never Die, you get a second brownie for being my 100th reviewer!

Me: Shouldn't you be giving away and imaginary iPod or something?

Finn: Oops, was I not supposed to take that?

Me: …

Dark Ace: Brownies! I want a brownie! *awkward pause* Please!

Me: Brownies are only for reviewers.

Cyclonis: Oh, have a heart. *hands Dark Ace a brownie*

Me: You are so in love, Miss Snugglebunny.

Cyclonis: *glares* No brownies for you!

Me: I do not own the Storm Hawks, now let's start the story!

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Ten minutes later, everyone sat in the bridge, full and content, but not quite sleepy yet. Junko, Stork, and Starling sat in the three armchairs. Piper, Aerrow, and Finn were on the larger couch while Cyclonis and Dark Ace shared the smaller one. As it had recently become the norm, Cyclonis was on Dark Ace's lap, curled up like a small feline.

"I'm bored." Finn usually was the first to admit the need to keep themselves amused.

"I know, we can finish watching that home movie I made! The six hours of me sleeping!" Junko suggested hopefully.

Finn groaned. "Junko, we're already bored," he explained. "Let's do something exciting, funny…what about, Truth or Dare?"

Aerrow groaned. "We already know practically everything about each other, and last time someone picked 'Dare' we had to rescue you from the Wastelands, Finn!"

Piper, for once, seemed to agree with Finn. "We've got three guests, so that should spice things up a little. Anyway, it sounds fun!" Stork shook his head while the rest nodded.

"You can just watch if you want, Stork," Aerrow said kindly. Stork had yet to engage in one of their games of Truth or Dare, and for good reason.

Aerrow stood. "I'll go first," he said. "Truth."

"Do you love me?" Piper blurted out.

"Easy!" Aerrow laughed back. "Of course!"

Piper blushed. "My turn, I'll go with Dare."

Cyclonis whispered something into Dark Ace's ear and handed him two small stones. "Dare: combine these two crystals," he sneered.

Piper looked at the stones he handed to her. "A Slimer and an Explosion Crystal. Really?" Cyclonis was up and wheeling the combining machine from Piper's room. Piper groaned. She carefully put the two in, closed up the latch, and hit the red button.

The machine whirled, then "Ding"-ed softly. Surprised, Piper turned to see Cyclonis wielding another crystal, focusing its energy to stabilize the new Slime-bomb. Piper carefully opened the machine and took it out, eyes wide.

"I'll take that," Dark Ace said, snatching it from her. "It was my dare, after all." Piper huffily took her machine back as Dark Ace and Cyclonis returned to their previous position on the couch.

"Truth or Dare?" Starling asked Dark Ace.

"I think I'll go with 'truth.'" Dark Ace replied. He found this game immature and tiring; with 'truth,' he could always just lie.

"Piper has mentioned 'Cyclonian Snugglebunnies,' a couple times, and then there was those pajamas…could you explain to me whatever secret meaning that phrase holds for the three of you?"

"If Piper has a fetish for bunnies, you should ask her about it, not me," Dark Ace replied coolly. "However, I do believe she was referring to the sleeping arrangements. Not all of us were lucky enough to get a room to ourselves, you know." Cyclonis blushed, happy that he stopped there.

Starling stood. "Now it's my turn, right?" she groaned. "Dare."

Junko stood up, smiling. "Well, I dare you to proclaim over the intercom that you think Finn's music rocks!" Finn gaped.

Starling huffily walked over to the Condor's intercom. "I, Starling of the Interceptors, officially proclaim that I think Finn's music rocks."

Unfortunately for Starling, the modifications Cyclonis made with her crystal over Terra Yorkia were still in place. Her declaration echoed for miles around the Condor. Starling glared.

"Sorry!" Junko winced. "I'll go with 'Truth' this time."

Aerrow stood up. "What's your deepest, darkest secret?" he asked.

Junko turned a bright red. "Um, well, don't tell anyone, but, um, I still sleep with my teddy bear. But only because he would get lonely and I didn't want him to feel left out!"

The Storm Hawks giggled.

"Umm," Aerrow began, "Cyclonis and Finn are left. Which one of you wants to go first?"

Cyclonis raised her eyebrow. "Might as well be me. Get it over with." She though about her options. Dare: they could make her do anything, and she didn't want them to have that control. Truth: giving them the truth meant giving them knowledge, and knowledge was power. She didn't like surrendering that power.

What if they asked a question that she didn't know the answer to, like how she felt about the Storm Hawks? What if they asked what she planned to do when this was over? She wasn't ready to face those questions, so she chose the easy way out.

"Dare."

Finn smiled in his annoying way. He took his time, letting her squirm for a while, then gave the sentence: "Kiss someone else in this room."

Cyclonis's face went blank as if she had flipped a switch. She sat up straighter. "Well, not you, no way after giving me that dare." He shrugged. He liked girls, but Cyclonis was way too scary for him.

Cyclonis decided to work her way around the room, embarrassing as many people as possible before choosing. She turned to where Aerrow and Piper were sitting.

"Let's see, Aerrow. Now you…you're slightly cute, I admit, but I don't kiss Sky Knights. Plus, I'm Piper's friend, I wouldn't do that to her." Piper flashed Cyclonis a huge grin and Aerrow blushed.

"Now, Stork—"

"Do you have any idea how much bacteria is in your mouth? I—"

"I don't cross-species kiss," she said haughtily, cutting him off. "Same goes for you, Junko and Radarr. That leaves Starling."

Starling turned to Finn to glare at him.

"Starling, I'm sure you're nice and all, but you're a _girl._" She glanced around once more. She had gotten everyone in the room. "So who do you want me to kiss, Finn? Huh?"

"There's always me."

The Dark Ace. Whose lap she was sitting on, so of course she missed him when she looked around the room. She felt the blood rush to her face.

Piper was smiling. "Come on!" she urged. "You already snuggle. Most people go through the kissing stage of their relationship first!"

Cyclonis gave her a look, before turning to gaze at her servant. He was grinning lazily down at her.

Was he laughing at her humiliation? Or could he possibly feel the same way about her? Master Cyclonis had read many books, and she was pretty sure that all the romantic ones that she had liked when she was ten had called this 'falling in love.'

The Dark Ace was never out of her mind.

Finally, she summoned up her courage and gave him a quick peck on the lips before ducking back down, blushing furiously. Everyone laughed at the spectacle.

"I wouldn't call that a real kiss." The Dark Ace's voice was dangerously soft. His hand reached under her chin, gently turning her back, bringing her face closer to his. Their lips were nearly touching.

"A real kiss is more like this."

He leaned down, closing the last couple of centimeters, covering her mouth with his. For a second her eyes were closed and she started to kiss back, then they jerked open and she pushed them away, panting.

They sat like that together for a few seconds. No one was sure how Cyclonis was going to react.

"Finn?" Her voice was completely devoid of all emotions. There was no expression on her face; it only made her even more scary. "Truth or Dare?"

"How do you do that?" Finn whispered in awe. "Control your emotions like that. I thought you were going to kill someone, probably me."

Cyclonis looked slightly sad. "The Cyclonian Empress Training Program," she replied. "Tuition: your childhood. And as for revenge, you will get it. Truth or Dare?"

For some reason, Finn was glancing nervously at Starling. "Tru—" Cyclonis's evil grin widened. "Dare! Dare! Dare! I mean dare!"

Cyclonis tossed him a crystal. "It's a three hour long music track. The next three hours you listen to your iPod, play this one." Finn laughed.

"Music? Is there some sort of catch here?"

"Only that it's a compilation of all of Ravess's symphonies."

Finn looked like he was going to barf. "Remind me never to get Cyclonis pissed at me again," he said miserably.

Cyclonis stood. "Now, I'm going to my room," she said shortly. "I wish to be _alone._"

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Me: Haha, don't you wish you gave me brownies now.

Cyclonis: *shrugs* You probably would have done that to me anyway.

Me: Yep, I'm an evil author! Hey, wait a second, you don't seem to mind that much. Ooh, someone's in _looooooove_!

Cyclonis: Shut. Up.

Me: Review!


	22. Waiting in the Dark

Starling: *clears throat* I, Starling of the Interceptors, would like to officially thank LethoBion, Bergie, Nezy, Hawk-Masters, Pascy, Zapwing, Tege, Aerrow4eva, and Love Shall Never Die for reviewing. When you review, you truly make the author's day, and…

Me: She seriously came up with a whole speech for this?

Cyclonis: I told you that you should let me do the introduction.

Me: I already did! Why should I twice in a row?

Cyclonis: Because I'm your favorite character.

Me: ….you really expect me to believe you can't read minds?

Cyclonis: I just pay attention. Speaking of psychic powers, are you going to hint at what's in this chapter?

Me: *brushes away a tear* This chapter made me cry. Several times, as I had to read it over and check for grammar!

Cyclonis: Why—wait, I don't want to know.

Starling:…to thank you for your much-appreciated input, we are passing out Pop-Crystals. *Passes out the Atmosian version of Pop-Rocks*

Me: We're seriously bribing them with candy to review?

Starling & Cyclonis: Politics, darling.

Me: Well, I don't own the Storm Hawks, so let's get this chapter started!

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The Dark Ace was out on the balcony. The great glass windows separated him from the bridge, separated him from the others. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

The night wind blew his hair back from his forehead, reminding him of riding his skimmer. The stars twinkled above, reminding him of laying on the soft, moist grass, and forgetting everything for a couple of minutes: just him and her. These memories hurt, reminded him of the precious thing that he had, that he had destroyed.

He blew it. He messed up big time.

He had always followed his instincts, gone with his impulses without thinking. She was the only one that he was careful around, but tonight he had messed up.

He could still feel the soft touch of her lips on his.

The stars glinted tantalizingly above him.

Master Cyclonis sat alone in her room, curled up on the armchair. She was not crying: she had run out of tears for the week, and besides, she hated feeling helpless, useless.

Instead, she was thinking.

Love. Was she falling in love? Was this true love? Did she love the Dark Ace for who he was, or because he was the last piece of home for her to cling to? How did she know this was real?

How did she know if he felt the same way back?

Love, she decided, was a lot more trouble than it was worth. Somehow, it managed to make her feel helpless and confused. It took away her power.

She knew she should be getting rest, but she also knew that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Not without his arms around her, comforting her, reassuring her. She hated the way she depended on him now, but at the same time, she wouldn't have it any other way. So instead, she waited, in the darkness, alone.

"Hey." The Dark Ace was not easily startled. If he was surprised now, he didn't show it.

Starling stepped forward, so she was next to him. She was sipping something—coffee. She caught him grimacing at it. "I know I shouldn't have the caffeine at this time of night, but I can't help it. Coffee helps me think."

There was an awkward silence for a few moments.

"I noticed you were out here alone. I came to see if you wanted company."

For the first time, Dark Ace replied. "I don't need company." That didn't mean he didn't want some.

She seemed to catch his thought, as she didn't leave, but leaned on the railings, sipping from her cup.

"It's weird, isn't it? Being the only two adults on a ship full of teens?" Starling tried to make conversation again.

To her surprise, the Dark Ace responded. Any distraction was good with him. "We're not the only adults. For one, I believe that the Merb is twenty-two."

Starling grinned. "It's hard to tell, he's scared all the time like a little nine-year-old who thinks there's a monster in his closet!"

"I wouldn't call Master Cyclonis a child either," Dark Ace continued. "She's been an adult since before she reached double digits."

Starling sobered up. "It's so weird, being friends with your enemies. It makes me wonder where we're all going to end up. Half of me feels bad for her, and wants to be her friend. The other half wants to strike her down before she can turn on us and do the same to us. Now, I'm starting to feel really guilty for suspecting that of her, for wanting to hurt her. It's weird, seeing her so human, realizing that all that I thought I knew about her, I might be wrong about."

The silence that they sat felt natural. There was no need to talk, so they didn't. For a few minutes, there was just the sound the hum of the engines and the small irregular slurps of coffee to fill the night's silence.

"You love her, don't you?"

The question caught Dark Ace by surprise, and he was swept away in a deluge of infinite longing. Truthfully, he answered back, "Yes."

"I think she loves you too; I've seen the long glances she gives you when she thinks you're not looking. Take my advice, being a Sky Knight…well, or a Talon, I guess…it's a hazardous occupation. Don't wait to tell her until it's too late. We never know if we're going to see tomorrow; each day could easily be our last, so we might as well treat it as if it is. Don't let love slip through your fingers."

An extremely emotional speech, from Starling especially. He had only seen her display cool logic. However, Ace didn't really like where this conversation was going; it was too close to the thoughts he was desperately trying to distract himself from. He sidestepped. "A bit hypocritical, don't you think?" he asked. "Coming from Miss I'm-Determined-to-Ignore-Finn's-Advances? What makes you the expert on love?"

Starling's eyes filled with tears. "I did love once," she whispered. "We were both young, somewhat like Piper and Aerrow. He was my First Officer.

"We thought we were immortal. We thought that nothing could harm us. We thought that our love could protect us, but Repton ripped him away from me.

"The worst part is, Finn reminds me so much of him. The same windblown blonde hair and big, innocent blue eyes. The same cocky attitude and self-confidence. The same taste in music, even. He was the one who taught me how the play guitar. He always teased me about how much I liked the Beatles, and how I needed to learn some real music: the heavy metal he always played." She smiled sadly, wiping a lone tear from her eye.

"So you see why I can't like Finn. Because I already love someone else, my heart's already been given away, and even if it wasn't, I don't think I have the strength for it to be broken again."

The Dark Ace looked at her carefully. "I don't know your lost love," he finally said, "but ask yourself this: would he want you to be heartbroken for the rest of your life? Or would he want you to find true happiness, even though he was gone? Because if he really loved you, then I think the answer is clear."

Starling took a long draught, finishing her cup. "Thanks," she said. "I came to offer you some comfort, and here you are, comforting me. Funny the way things turn out, isn't it?" She turned, heading back inside, to the comfort of dreamless sleep. Dark Ace watched her go.

She had left him with a lot to think about.

The door creaked open and the Dark Ace stepped inside they dimly lit room. Surprisingly, his Master was waiting for him, sitting in the armchair like it was the Cyclonian throne, gripping the armrests until her knuckles turned white.

His spine prickled uneasily. Was she furious at him?

She stood, and gave him a tight hug, answering his question without words. He knew he was forgiven. They were still on good terms.

He swept her off her feet and carried her to the mattress, plopping her down gently before laying next to her. As always, she snuggled against his chest.

It was so sweet, so innocent, and he knew that despite what Starling had told him he wouldn't do anything that would cause the collapse of this unsteady…thing they had between them. It was more than friendship, but it wasn't quite a relationship.

If, no, _when_ she was ready he would tell her that he loved her. Until then, he would shield her, protect her, comfort her. He would be waiting, in the dark.

That night, when she cried out from bad dreams, he held her. He was always there, waiting, in the dark.

That night, when she knew he was sleeping, she looked at his peaceful face. She stroked it gently, not wanting to wake him but unable to restrain herself. She was indeed in love, she decided. It was a love that could never be, because she had duties, and responsibilities. Still, here in the darkness, she could pretend. She could pretend that she was a carefree girl who could give in to her emotions. She could pretend that the Dark Ace loved her too. She snuggled closer, happy in her fantasies, and even though they would disappear in the morning, here in the dark, they felt so real.

Sunlight streamed across the two bodies sleeping together. This morning, Cyclonis didn't even blush when she woke. She had grown used to the warmth of Dark Ace's lean, muscular body under hers, and stopped being embarrassed by it.

Dark Ace sleepily opened his eyes. "Morning, princess," he said.

She didn't show it, but she loved it when he called her that. "We can't," she replied. "We have other responsibilities, and we just can't. We can't let everyone down by being weak, by giving into our feelings."

"I know," he whispered. Her heart skipped a beat—he didn't deny that he had feelings for her. "But I'll always be here, protecting you. You are my Master, and I will always serve you. I swear I'll never leave you. I'd give my life for you."

_Say it. Say 'I love you.'_ She knew that he shouldn't, that it would only make it harder for them, and he understood this, too, so he didn't say it.

She heard what she needed to hear, what she wanted to hear. The boundaries that had been in place before that stolen kiss had been restored. So why did it feel like an icicle, piercing her chest?

Cyclonis left the room quickly, mumbling something about helping with breakfast. She was so intent on getting away that she missed Dark Ace's parting words:

"I'll always be there. I'll always be waiting, waiting in the dark."

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Cyclonis: *sobbing quietly*

Me: Um…it's okay, don't be sad. *awkwardly tries to comfort*

Cyclonis: *cries harder*

Me: Now I really feel bad. Dark Ace!

Dark Ace: How dare you upset her! I'll—

Me: Can you comfort her now and make threats to my life later?

Dark Ace…*turns to Cyclonis* It's okay, honey. I've got a bit of chocolate. Do you want some? Everything will turn out alright. *puts arm around her shoulder*

Cyclonis: *starts to calm down*

Me: Whew!

Dark Ace: *glares evilly*

Me: Hurry and review before he kills me!


	23. Terra Gale

Aerrow: Atmos, world of 1000 mountaintop kingdoms, each protected by a Sky Knight against the forces of darkness: beast, rogues, and…

Me: Um, Aerrow?

Aerrow:…and all hope lost. Until now! I'm Aerrow, last living descendant of the original Storm Hawks, and this is….

Me: Piper, help!

Piper: Aerrow!

Aerrow: *looks around* What?

Me: You were supposed to be introducing another chapter, not another episode.

Aerrow: Oops. *blushes* Well, um, thanks to Zapwing, Nezy, Pascy, Bergie, Tege, Aerrow4eva, LethoBion, Hawk-Masters, and Yumi-temme for reviewing, and Nerd Corps owns the Storm Hawks.

Me: I want to thank Hawk-Masters, Aerrow4eva, and Nezy for defending me from Dark Ace. I ended up being fine; Cyclonis distracted him. I'm not elaborating any more.

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No one at the breakfast table was too surprised when the Condor's alarm system interrupted their morning meal. They all knew that they only had so long to enjoy the lull before something sparked up again.

Stork rushed over to the radio, turning it to the Shadow Channel. "Distress call from Terra Gale," came a familiar French voice over the static. "Ze Rebel Ducks need some assistance. Strange clouds are approaching, like ze ones the Sky Knight Council described. Distress call from Terra Gale. If anyone can hear me, please send assistance."

Piper checked the navigational charts. "We're about five minutes away," she exclaimed. "Stork, set a course, full speed. If we're lucky, we'll get there before the shadows."

"Battle armor, everyone! Prepare your skimmers!" Aerrow had taken control. He was a Sky Knight, and leading in battle was what he did best.

Terra Gale was a hot-spot for the Cyclonian and Atmosian conflict. It was right on the border between the two major powers' territories. Cyclonis had conquered the mainland terra, and right now, it lay deserted like all the other Cyclonian holdings. However, there were many small terras around it that Cyclonis didn't quite have the time to conquer, and the Rebel Ducks made base on one of them and tried to stir up trouble.

Cyclonis remembered Minerva saying that she had sent a force-field over. She hoped that they had figured out how to set it up in time. As much as they were an annoyance, she wouldn't wish the sort of death the shadows brought on anyone, not even her enemies.

Five minutes later, the Condor was flying over Wren's tiny house. It turned out the shadow-cloud was about thirty minutes away, so Aerrow and Piper took their vehicles down to greet the Rebel Ducks. Everyone else remained on the Condor, as not to raise awkward questions about their Cyclonian guests. Wren was still suspicious enough about the theft of the Cheese Stone, and Aerrow didn't want to disrupt the fragile trust they held.

It was Dove, not Wren, who greeted the young Sky Knight and his first officer.

"Aerrow!" she called, rushing to give him a quick kiss on each cheek. Aerrow turned bright red, and Piper laughed. He had never gotten used to Dove's traditional way of greeting.

She pulled back, then greeted Piper the same way. "Eetz been far to long!" she exclaimed. "I miss having female company around! Now, Granpapa wants to talk to you about theez shadow-clouds."

Wren seemed to be mad at them when they entered his small cottage. "You! You dare show your faces in here now?"

Aerrow sighed in defeat. "What did we do this time?" he asked.

"You are sheltering the Cyclonian scum that unleashed this shadow-plague on the Atmos!" He was quivering with anger. "Call them down now. I want look in the eye the evil which has enslaved my terra!"

Aerrow rubbed his neck awkwardly. "I think this is the first time we're actually guilty of what you're accusing us of," he said.

"Umm, we're here to help protect you against the shadows," Piper began uncertainly.

"With the Cyclonians dead, the shadows will disappear back to wherever they summoned them from," Wren said triumphantly. In his mind, his logic was flawless. "Now bring the Cyclonian scum down, or we will be forced to capture you and use you to exchange."

"This is not going the way we planned it," Piper whispered to Aerrow.

"It doesn't matter. We're here, so we can help out when the real threat comes," he replied. "Let's get the Condor to land."

On the Condor, Cyclonis was wielding her Star Shard, using it to see how much time they had until the shadows got there. "Twenty more minutes, tops," she mumbled to the nervous Storm Hawks team.

Aerrow's voice came over the intercom. "Um, Wren wants us to land the Condor. He seems rather intent on capturing our Cyclonian allies."

Dark Ace looked less than pleased. "We're not going down into an ambush!" he growled.

"Relax," Cyclonis said soothingly. "These are the Rebel Ducks. What are they going to do, lock us in their chicken coop?"

Cyclonis was not that far off the mark; the resistance of Terra Gale had decided to lock them in Dove's room. Piper and Starling were there to keep Cyclonis company, and Dove was there to make sure that no one messed with her stuff.

The Dark Ace was fuming in the corner. He hated the feeling of being caged. He desperately wanted to fight back, to escape, to be back in the air, but he knew his Master didn't want that. He kept his cool.

Starling and Dove were chatting, oblivious to what was going on around them. Piper, who was more attuned to her best friend's moods, knew that something was wrong with Cyclonis.

In her mind, one of three things could have happened. She could have slept with him, she could have admitted her love and had her hopes dashed as her feelings were not returned, or she could have decided that she wasn't allowed to love, and informed him. Piper didn't know which was the worst.

She moved a bit closer to Cyclonis.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she whispered.

"Is it that obvious?" her friend replied.

"You haven't met his eyes all morning. You've been acting awkward around him. I know that something's going on."

Tears filled Cyclonis's eyes. Piper instantly knew that it was a touchy subject for her. "I have duties and responsibilities. Cyclonia comes first. Atmos comes first. I can't let emotion get in the way of that, don't you understand?"

Piper did understand. It had been like that for her, when she had first figured out that she was in love with Aerrow. How could you love a Sky Knight, when it would hold him back? But they found a way. There always was a way.

A tear rolled down Cyclonis's check. Before it could fall off he had rushed over, and carefully wiped it off with one finger. He gently picked her up and cradled her, kissing the top of her head. It only made her cry harder.

"I can't give in," she whispered. "You know I can't. You know why I can't." The Dark Ace rocked her gently, until her sobs quieted. The room was silent for a few seconds.

"Erm, is this working? Okay, um, the shadows are going to be here in about two minutes, and we kind of need some help out here. I don't think the Rebel Ducks have many crystal weapons, and these clouds of shadows are huge." Stork's nervous voice echoed across the terra; once again, the impromptu upgrades Cyclonis had given the Condor's intercom were coming in handy.

Dove looked at the two Cyclonians. "Sorry eef I am interrupting something, but it sounds like you are needed out there." Cyclonis wiped her eyes and stood. If they hadn't all witnessed it, the three ladies wouldn't have believed that she broke down at all.

"Piper, I always seem to be breaking you out of our custody. I do not know why you get yourself into these situations, but I trust you. Do not let me down." Her eyes narrowed. "Follow me."

The shadows flew across the sky, covering the mid-morning sunlight like a great cloud. In a way, they were a cloud: a cloud of death and destruction, ready to rain down on this cursed, this now-doomed world.

All they felt was hunger. There was no guilt, no mercy, only an unending hunger for more.

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I feel loved and spoiled at the same time—I'm just getting so many good reviews! So I'm putting up two chapters tonight, because you guys are just that awesome! Battle action next…those chapters are always fun to write!

Well, what are you waiting for? Review!


	24. Battle for Gale

Finn: I get to start the chapter! Whowhoo! This introductions seriously need some coolness added.

Cyclonis: Why did you agree to do this again?

Me: Now I have to give everyone a turn, or they might get their feelings hurt.

Finn: Umm…what was I supposed to say again?

Cyclonis: Thank our reviewers—

Finn: Oh, yeah! Thanks, Bergie, Tege, and Love Shall Never Die. You think it's annoying waiting for an author to update? What do you think it feels like to us, sitting around, wondering what's going to happen to us next. So you guys seriously rock.

Cyclonis: Wow. He actually sounded convincing.

Finn: Don't rain on my parade! That was all sincere.

Cyclonis: Says the dude who stole the imaginary iPod.

Me: And, I don't own the Storm Hawks! So let's start!

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This was getting embarrassing, it really was. If there was anything Cyclonis had gained from the nightmare they called her childhood, it was how to control her emotions. Anger, she could deal with, bottle up, use against her enemies. Fear, she could turn into either anger or pure adrenaline. She could turn any feeling into nothing; simply _be,_ be patient, be cool, logical, and scheming, without losing herself in an entangling mess. But for some strange reason, she just couldn't control what she felt around _him._

She decided that it was hormones. She was a teenager, it was only natural that her body would rebel against her like this. But as much as she craved his touch, she decided that it was just another feeling, and her mind could control it.

For a few precious days, she had been living in a dream world on the Condor. Now it was time to come back to reality.

Battles were easy. During a battle you didn't have to think, only fight. Battles were simple: there was only you, and the enemy.

Dove had sneaked them out to his skimmer, and the Dark Ace sat in his seat, her crouched on his wing. "Wait until the Rebel Ducks are engaged in battle," Dove had warned them. "By the time you join us, it will be so confusing that no one will stop you. In ze end, you will be heroes."

"Stay under the shield," Cyclonis cautioned her. "Only crystal weapons work on them."

Dove nodded her thanks. Despite the fact that most of them were armed with frying pans, none of them were backing down. She was brave, for one.

Just like the girl who crouched on his wing. He couldn't help but stare at her, out of the corner of his eyes. She looked so small in her skin-tight battle armor. She, too, was brave, to risk herself for these strangers. She, too, was brave to battle with crystals again despite how scared he knew they made her now.

He wished that he could be brave. He wished that he had the courage to stay away from her. He knew he was hurting her, but he couldn't stop himself.

Above, flashes of light lit the darkening, shadowed sky. The battle was beginning. Good. Nothing was better than a fight for distracting him from his thoughts. He needed, so badly, for his world to be right-side up, even if it were just for a little while.

The Strom Hawks sped after the Rebel Ducks as they passed through and out of the red field surrounding the terra. Despite their warning, the Rebel Ducks didn't believe in sitting around taking shots at the shadows, so everyone was in the fighting zone. Even the Condor, its sides glowing red, came up for the battle.

"Charge!" Wren might have been slightly crazy, but he certainly was brave. He led the Rebel Ducks in a full assault on the cloud of darkness, all waving their glowing pots and pans.

At least Piper had been able to rig up some crystals in their weapons, and give them a chance.

They surged forward, swinging their makeshift bludgeons at the shadows. If the shadows had mouths, they would have been grinning. Three of the Ducks went down instantly, life sucked from their young bodies.

Dove saw what was happening. "Retreat! Back to the Condor! We can give cover from there, using the energy cannons!" The Rebel Ducks raced back to the Condor while Dove and Wren tried to hold the shadows off. However, it wasn't enough.

"Granpapa! Go!" Dove yelled, slipping a crystal into the engine of her skimmer. She did something with the controls, then leapt off. The skimmer through straight into the cloud of shadows, then it exploded.

Dove fell through the cloudline, towards the Wasteland.

Piper stared in shock. She couldn't believe it. She knew that a lot of people had already been killed by these monsters, but this was something else. Dove was a friend, a pen pal. Piper still had the long letters in which Dove begged for more details about her and Aerrow, and about successful raids on the Cyclonian-controlled mainland. Dove couldn't be gone. She buried her head in her hands.

Piper heard a gasp from behind her: Wren. Dove wasn't gone! She was rising through the clouds, holding hands with Cyclonis. Both of them were standing on the wing of Dark Ace's skimmer.

Wren was staring, eyes popping out of his head, as the two darkly garbed figures deposited a smiling Dove on the Condor's landing pad. "I told you, Granpapa, Zey are on our team!"

Wren looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry for—"

"Look, I'm sure you are, but right now, that doesn't really matter. Can we worry about this when the battle is done?" Cyclonis snapped, then she whirled around to blast a shadow that was sneaking up behind her. Dark Ace followed suit, leaping on his skimmer and taking off to rejoin the battle.

The Rebel Ducks who made it to the Condor all took positions at the various energy cannons along the ship. They shot bright blue energy pulses at the clouds of shadows, avenging their fallen.

All of the Storm Hawks were circling the Condor, keeping the shadows off the landing bay. Aerrow was—well, not succeeding, but at least not failing miserably at of shooting bolts of energy. Then again, it was hard to miss when the shadows were everywhere.

"Dark Ace!" he called excitedly. "I'm finally getting the hang of it!" A red bolt of light whizzed past his ear, hitting a shadow that was lurking behind him.

"Keep your mind on the battle!" Dark Ace angrily called back, shooting three other shadows that tried to approach the ship.

Cyclonis stayed on his wing, choosing not to fly in case for some strange reason her levitation crystals weren't in her bag. She shot huge walls of pure energy, driving back the shadows in waves. The crystal power sliced through the darkness like a hot knife through butter, dissolving more and more shadows.

The Rebel Ducks were quite efficient shooters, also taking out a lot of the shadows. Finn had landed on the Condor's runway, shooting from his energy crossbow so quickly that you couldn't tell he stopped and aimed before each shot.

Starling flew, whirling her crystal nunchucks as she took down shadows right and left. One, however, went after her skimmer, sacrificing itself to destroy the engine. She jumped from the wreckage, realizing that she had not put on her parachute this time.

"Darn it," Finn said. "This always happens to me, even when I'm not riding my skimmer!" He took a running leap, intercepting the Interceptor as she sailed past the Condor. They held each other tightly as he hit his chest, releasing the parachute.

For about a minute, Starling was grateful that she wasn't going to splat, then she noticed the awkward position she and Finn were in. "This is going to be a long ride down," she groaned.

Dark Ace and Master Cyclonis were in the very heart of the Shadow cloud. Cyclonis was blasting as fast and as hard as she could, but it was never enough. It was going to take some creative aerial tactics to get them out of this one.

"Blast a wall of energy straight above you, and hold on tight!" Dark Ace called over the wind. Master Cyclonis nodded once, and complied, and he twirled the skimmer in a tight corkscrew.

Master Cyclonis's face narrowed in concentration as she clutched the edge of the wing. The light left an afterimage in everyone's eyes, the great violet spiral slicing through the cloud of shadows. Finally, the duo burst out of the top, and made a sharp turn back to the Condor, still raining down energy onto the shadows.

The cloud of darkness had been devastated by the crazy move, and it was little work for the rest of them to mop it up. Aerrow, Piper, and Junko charged into the remaining pockets of shadows while the Rebel Ducks took down even more from their cannons.

Master Cyclonis wasn't feeling well. She wasn't going to throw up, but she did feel quite dizzy. Suddenly, it was a lot harder to stay on the wing. She was just feeling herself start to slip when a strong arm caught her shoulder, steadying her. She blushed as she realized who it was.

Dark Ace, always looking out for her.

She was falling in love, alright, and she hated and loved every second of it.

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Ok, that's all for today! Please review!


	25. High on Life

Dark Ace: I really like this chapter—

Me: I do, too! I mean, I know it's long and all, but it was soooo much fun to write-- *breaks off when notices Dark Ace glaring*

Dark Ace: As I was saying, I like this chapter, so I'm going to keep it short and sweet. Thanks to Aerrow4eva, Tege, Bergie, Pascy, Hawk-Masters, and Nezy for reviewing, and Kitty doesn't own the Storm Hawks.

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Starling and Finn hung together, awkwardly clutching each other, from a huge spire of rock above the Wastelands. As usual, Starling took control.

"Finn, I have a rope on the back of my belt. When I give the signal, I want you to let go and grab it. Ready? Now!" Starling grabbed more tightly, completely supporting herself as Finn groped around for the rope. He had it.

"Now, can you support my weight?" He nervously nodded. "Then I need you to drape the rope around my neck and then grab me again. I'm going to tie us together, and take the strain off of our arms."

Starling did as she described, binding them together in a makeshift harness.

Together, they hung there, listening to the sounds of the battle above. It sounded a lot worse, just hearing but not seeing. Every zap, whoosh, or bang startled them as they tried not to imagine what was going on. Finally, Finn voiced his doubts.

"What if we're losing? What if the shadows have killed everyone else, and we just have a few minutes until they come and get us, too? Aren't we supposed to say our last words, or something?"

Starling scowled. "I live my life ready to die each day, no regrets."

Finn stared. "Wow, that's kind of sad. I mean, I'm glad you don't have any regrets, but if you live ready to die, that's not really living. I, for one, regret that I never told y—"

The Condor descended in front of them, it's loud horn cutting off what he was going to say. Starling sighed in relief as Aerrow cut her free. "I'm never forgetting my parachute again," she swore. "Oh, and Finn? Thanks for saving my life. It was really sweet of you." She gave him a peck on the cheek and he reddened.

"_So_ worth it," he whispered under his breath.

The Condor left Terra Gale shortly afterwards, heading back in the general direction of the Cyclonian border. Everyone sat gathered around the bridge, in their usual seats.

"So, um, what are we going to do, guys?" Finn asked.

"There is no way I'm agreeing to another game of Truth or Dare," Cyclonis quickly hissed.

"Really? Because I enjoyed it last time," Dark Ace said, smiling. Cyclonis blushed crazily.

The instruments began to fluctuate, and Stork's eyes bulged nervously. "We've got Sky Sharks on the scopes!"

"What are we waiting for? To the skimmers!" called an excited Aerrow.

"Wait," Piper said. "Lark, could you take them down with your crystal-without-a-crystal powers? I never really got to observe you doing it, and I think it might help us understand them a bit better…if you don't mind, I mean."

Cyclonis paled, but her face narrowed in determination. She handed her bag of crystals to Dark Ace as Piper quickly ran and grabbed a strange pair of goggles and a notebook.

Cyclonis took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and concentrated. Five short blasts of red-orange energy shot from her form and hit the Sky Sharks, who all instantly swam/flew away.

Piper stared in awe. "You're pulling energy from some source outside of you," she said quickly. "Crystals can run out of energy if they're overused or not cared for properly. From what I can see, there's no end to the power source you're using."

Cyclonis nodded palely. She didn't want to admit it, but it had taken a lot out of her.

"You know, I wonder…" Piper mumbled to herself. Cyclonis motioned for her to continue. "You reach out and use energy like it's the energy of a crystal…would it be possible to make crystals from your mysterious energy source?"

Dark Ace was quick to object. "We have absolutely no idea how using these powers affects her. If she tries too much to early, it may very well kill her! She's done enough for the day."

Cyclonis had a stubborn glint in her eye. "What if we come to a Terra and they need shielding stones, but we're out? Do you want it to be the first time I test out these strange powers? Better to do it now, in a controlled environment."

Dark Ace opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. "You're right, Master," he finally said. "Just—be careful!"

A pang of nervousness twisted in her gut. She nodded, swallowing dryly.

Going into the energy pool was a strange, but not unpleasant feeling. She felt hot and prickly, like she had pins and needles, but at the same time utterly invincible. She tried to channel the power through herself while concentrating on the most basic crystal: a Floater.

The Storm Hawks were forced to squint, then close their eyes as Cyclonis began shining brighter than a supernova. Finally, the whiteness dimmed, and they could see again. A small floating crystal hovered above a triumphant Cyclonis's hand.

Suddenly, Cyclonis seemed to stumble and collapse, not quite fainting but falling dizzily towards the ground. Dark Ace instantly rushed forward and caught her. "Wow…" she slurred. "You're really strong and fast…"

Piper lifted her lidded eyes, checking her pupils. They were slightly dilated. "We're taking her to the sick bay," she said. "I want to do a couple tests, and make notes on these symptoms."

Cyclonis sat in the sick bay, feeling slightly annoyed. Despite her protests, Piper had insisted that she stay here all afternoon and night so that the affects of the energy could be monitored until they wore off. Cyclonis looked at the notepad, seeing Piper's heavy scrawls.

_Energy seems to be having a positive long-term affect on the body. It seems to be strengthening, and healing old wounds._

There had been a time when her father had broken her left arm. Sometimes, it ached. It had stopped aching now. In fact, the slight bump had disappeared.

_Subject seems to have a slight fever. Hypothesis: temperature to fever is in direct correlation with the amount of crystal energy in the body._

_Effect on mind: unknown. Probable outcome: strange behavior, loss of judgment._

She wasn't crazy. Maybe she felt a bit dizzy, but she was fine. In fact, she was more than fine.

In an impulsive, split-second decision, she decided to make another crystal. This time, she'd make a bigger one, to show that she could. _Hm,_ she wondered, _who would want a powerful crystal?_ She couldn't give it to Piper, or Piper would realize something was up. In her mind's eye, she saw the Dark Ace practicing with his energy-sword, a Firebolt Crystal glistening in the hilt.

She smiled, then reached into the energy inside herself.

Dark Ace was in their room, cleaning up, polishing his blade, and doing whatever other chores he could think of. The door slid open.

All he could see was the silhouette in the doorway, but he knew at once that it was his Master. She nodded to him and walked in.

There was something strange about the way she moved. It almost looked as though she was walking through water. Her steps were careful, languid, fluid, and slow. She sat on their bed, watching him, not saying a word. Dark Ace went back to polishing his sword.

"I have something for you," she said smoothly. "A crystal. I made it myself."

In all his years on Cyclonia, he had never seen anyone give someone else a gift. He turned warily. In her hand was a large, blood-red crystal. His eyes widened as he recognized it. He carefully picked it up, fitting it into the end of his sword.

"Wow," he said. "Thanks." It was the most powerful Firebolt crystal he'd ever seen, and it worked with his blade like none ever had before. Dark Ace took a few practice swipes and nodded appreciatively. He gingerly turned his glowing blade off and placed it down.

Somehow, Master Cyclonis had gotten right in front of him. She climbed on his lap, facing towards him. Her hands reached up and began to entangle themselves in his hair, moving with a life of their own.

"Um, Master, um—"

She silenced him effectively by kissing him, long and hard. Her lips were unnaturally warm, and unimaginably soft.

A lump formed in his throat. What had Piper said about making crystals? Something about how she wasn't sure how it would affect Cyclonis's mind? How it would take a few hours for the effects to wear off?

He looked into her eyes, and his suspicions were confirmed. Her pupils were huge, vastly dilated. He pulled back. "Master, you're not yourself. The crystals are affecting you. Why don't you just wait for the effects to wear off, then you'll be back to normal and all will be fine."

She kissed him again, shorter this time, then came up for breath. Her fingers lightly traced abstract patterns on the back of his neck. He was so tempted to give in, but he knew that she wouldn't want that.

"Ace, the crystals are not controlling how I think," she cooed. "The crystals just take away my fear. They take away all the stupid, little things that are holding me back. They take away the insecurities that are always in the back of my mind. Everything, all of this, this is what I truly want." She kissed him again.

"I love you, Dark Ace."

She knew exactly how he thought, and she destroyed his mental arguments' foundations with chilling precision. _Control yourself, don't give in, snap out of it._ Her lips met his.

"I love you, too."

He didn't resist this time as she kissed him again. Her lips were so soft, and so distracting. All he could think of was her small body on top of his, and her mouth on his. Her hands quickly moved to the back of his armor, unlatching it.

It brought him back to reality. Quickly, he grabbed both of her wrists. "Stop," he said sternly.

"I thought you said you loved me," she whispered, trying to kiss him again. This time, he was ready for it, and he held her away. He turned her around, keeping his tight grip on her wrists as he forced her back to him. Her arms were now crossed on her chest, effectively trapping her.

"I do love you," he replied. "That's why I'm going to sit here with you until you regain your senses. I won't have you doing anything you regret." His voice became more gentle. "You have no idea how much I love you."

She tried pleading. She tried ordering him, begging him, screaming at him, but to no avail. Dark Ace sat there like a statue, holding onto her, until finally, she fell asleep.

Blackness. The blackness was the first thing she noticed. It was all around her, surrounding her. She tried to look at herself but she realized that she didn't exist. There was just the blackness, and she was the blackness.

The second thing she noticed was the hunger. It wasn't really a physical hunger, as that would require her to have a stomach. It was more a constant gnawing feeling in the back of her mind, reminding her that she could never really feel satiated.

After a little while, she realized she had eyes, so she opened them. Everything looked strange; she couldn't see a landscape at all, but there was something extremely bright above her, the sun. In front of her were little stars, but they were strangely shaped and clumped together. Surrounding her was the blackness, and she could feel all of it, even though some of it wasn't her. She knew that all the blackness felt the same hunger, but there was another thought, too. There was almost an anticipation, an excitement about the stars.

One of the stars made a weird movement, and all of them moved closer to the darkness. She realized why their shape was familiar—they looked like humans, but made completely of light.

One came near her and she reacted instinctually, reaching out an grabbing its light. For a second, the hunger disappeared, replaced by complete and total bliss, then the human-star dimmed and disappeared.

She suddenly realized what was going on. She was a shadow, and this was the battle that they had just fought that morning.

She saw herself burst through the clouds, with two dimmer stars near her. She—her human self—was brighter than all the others, and had a strange aura of energy around her. She felt the need to consume her human self, more than any other of these puny men. Around her, the other shadows were thinking the same thing.

Her human self whirled, and a point of light came hurtling at her. Suddenly, she realized that this was a bolt of energy that she herself was using to kill herself. Strange.

She closed her eyes and retreated into the blackness, ordering the dream to stop. To her surprise, it did, and her mind sank into deeper levels of unconsciousness.

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Me: *chuckles evilly* I wonder why you like this chapter…

Dark Ace: What? Oh, you mean Master Cyclonis finally tells me she loves me? Yeah, that was really nice.

Me: And the fact that she was totally making out with you!

Dark Ace: I enjoyed that part too.

Me: *shots him a look*

Dark Ace: What? I'm not the one who's all flustered; that's Cyclonis. I've been very clear about my feelings for her from Episode 1 (okay, maybe 2). I mean, it takes some serious devotion to dive under a collapsing ceiling for someone.

Me: *shakes head* You're hopeless.

Dark Ace: I hope your reviewers aren't hopeless, and that they actually review.

Me: Speaking of reviewing, are you still trying to kill me? Because several of them told you not to, you know.

Dark Ace: *sarcastically* And I wouldn't _dare_ upset our reviewers! No, but really, I'm starting to not hate you anymore after writing that chapter. Although if I had written it, I can think of one or two parts that I would have changed…well, only one, really…

Me: Thanks! Though I'm not sure if it's my writing quality you're complimenting…


	26. Hangovers

Stork: Why am I doing this again? *glances around nervously* I absolutely hate getting up in front of people.

Me: I promised that the mind worms wouldn't make an appearance if you did.

Stork: You're probably one of those psychos who think that mind worms don't exist anyway.

Me: Just introduce the chapter.

Stork: Thank you Aerrow4eva, Yumi-temme, Tege, Nezy, Hawk-Masters, Pascy, and Love Shall Never Die for reviewing. In fact, I'm so grateful that I'm willing to share my patent recipe for Vulcabat repellent. You need—

Me: Number one, you're not allowed to give away those secrets. Number two, I don't own the Storm Hawks. Number three, let's start!

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She didn't feel very good. Her head pounded, and she felt extremely groggy. Violet eyes inched open, to be hit by bright light and bring another wave of pain through her head.

Cyclonis took a deep breath, clearing her mind. She could think a bit better now. She noticed she was in an upright position, and that her wrists were sore. Opening her adjusted eyes, she looked down, surprised to see Dark Ace's hands on hers. He was holding her uncomfortably tightly.

Then it hit her—she didn't remember a thing from the night before. Try as she would, the only thing she encountered when she tried to go back in her mind was more waves of pain. A cold shiver ran down her spine. Why was he holding her so tightly? What exactly happened last night?

She carefully pried his fingers off and stumbled to the bathroom. Standing up quickly like that made her feel like she was going to puke. Steadying herself on the sink, she shakily splashed her face with some water.

Suddenly, she remembered everything. Cyclonis screamed, eyes rolling into the back of her head as she collapsed into a trembling heap on the bathroom floor.

"Piper?" A nervous Dark Ace raced to the hanger bay, looking for the young Storm Hawk. She lifted her sleepy head from her cereal. "We have a bit of a situation…"

Piper entered Cyclonis and Dark Ace's bedroom, to see the teen empress huddled in a small ball, shaking. "I'm not really sure what's wrong with her," he said, wringing his hands. "She collapsed in the bathroom, and I carried her here, then got you immediately."

Piper thought for a second, then asked, "Have you tried talking to her?"

The Dark Ace fidgeted. "No…"

"Lark, it's okay, now could you please tell us if you're hurt?" Piper said kindly, placing a hand on her trembling friend's shoulder.

"I am going to die…" Cyclonis moaned. "Of embarrassment!"

"Oh, dear," Piper said. "Dark Ace, could you leave us alone for a minute? We need some girl-talk. Right now." The Dark Ace allowed himself to be kicked out of his own room. He was nervous about where this was going.

Piper let Cyclonis sob for a few minutes, then spoke. "Pull yourself together, girl," she gently scolded. "Come on. You can talk about it. Get it all out."

"You....were...so...right...." she said between hysterics. "Those stupid crystals...they did mess with my mind. It was like being drunk, except far, far worse. Not that I've ever been drunk..." She collapsed into more sobs.

"I'm surprised," Piper mused. "You would think that one little Floater Crystal wouldn't have effected you that much."

The guilt showed clearly on Cyclonis's face.

"You made another, didn't you? I mean, I told you not to, but still, I'm interested, what--"

"A Firebolt. A really powerful one, too," Cyclonis confessed.

"Now, are you going to tell me what happened? Get it off your chest?" Piper wondered.

"I..."

Dark Ace played with his cereal nervously. Finn sat across from him, looking equally glum. "What's wrong with you?" he asked the blonde, wanting a distraction from his thoughts. His Master was going to kill him, so might as well not spend his last few minutes wondering how.

"Starling," Finn replied. "I'm starting to become good friends with her, and I don't want to ruin it, but I want to get closer with her..." He trailed off.

"Take my advice, get two cups of coffee and ask her to come sit on the balcony with you, and talk. When she enjoys it, suggest you make a habit of it, do that every morning."

"Starling drinks coffee?" said a confused Finn.

"That's not the point!" Dark Ace replied, frustrated. "Yes, she loves coffee, but the point is it's a nice thing to do for her, and you'll have about fifteen minutes of private time with her in which she is utterly grateful to you every morning. Or are you going to have to sabotage her parachute to get another moment with just you and her?"

Finn mulled over what he said. "You know, you're right," he decided, "And that parachute idea? Brilliant! I'll keep it in mind for when this war is over." He left for the kitchen to make the coffee. Aerrow slid into his empty seat.

"You look like you're waiting for your execution," the teen Sky Knight joked.

"I am," Dark Ace replied. "As soon as Piper finished talking to Master Cyclonis, well, then it's time to say my goodbyes."

Aerrow's eyes widened. "I heard her scream this morning...what happened?"

"Do you really want to know? The crystal-making effected her judgment last night, making her act as if she were, well, drunk, or high. She came into our bedroom, and well, I don't really know how to say this--"

"You slept together!?!"

"No! I stopped her, but I think that was her intention. But now if she remembers everything..."

Aerrow looked sympathetic. "Sorry if I sound like Stork here, but, You're Doomed."

Dark Ace nodded.

Aerrow sighed and got up, going to check on the engine room. Piper had mentioned a faulty crystal and he wanted to make sure their ship was working perfectly; you never knew when you'd be called to battle. He wanted to get away from his archenemy who was starting to feel, confusingly, like a friend. He doubted that Dark Ace would really get hurt. Much. He didn't really want to be around to see it.

Behind him, Finn was leading a confused and uncharacteristically giggly Starling to the balcony. Starling gave Dark Ace a questioning look, but he just shrugged, face blank. This was a one-time thing; he was not planning on becoming the Storm Hawks' matchmaker. He was definitely not planning on admitting that he had done some matchmaking.

He looked down at his cereal to see that it was soggy. Great. Just great. His last meal, and it wasn't even the way he liked it. He sighed, trying and failing not to be so pessimistic. The problem was, he knew Cyclonis quite well, and he knew she did not forgive personal embarrassments. Although the whole stupid problem wasn't his fault, he was sure there was some way to twist logic and make it so. After all, it was a lot easier to blame someone else than take responsibility for something yourself.

Piper walked onto the bridge, her face completely blank. "Master Cyclonis will see you now," she said in monotone. If he weren't so nervous, he may have noticed that she wasn't calling her 'Lark.'

He walked into the bedroom to find her back to him; she was looking out of the small window in the corner. "Sit down." Her voice was cool, collected, and devoid of emotion. He stood awkwardly, not ready to let down his guard. "Sit down. I didn't rig a trap on the chair, you know. In fact, I'm not even punishing you. I just called you here to talk."

"Of course you're not going to punish me. Good. You're in a merciful mood. So it will be a quick and painless death?"

She laughed, and not in a threatening way, either. "It's not your fault at all. I was stupid, I played with energy when I didn't know how it would affect me, and now I pay the consequences. You behaved better than I could have ever expected you to. You thought about me, and what I would really want, and you didn't take advantage of me at all. Now will you sit down, or do I have to order you to?"

What in the world had Piper said to her? He carefully lowered himself into the chair. Nothing happened. He let out a long sigh in relief.

She walked over and climbed into his lap. Such an innocent position; in fact, since they had gotten on the Condor, she sat on him more than she sat on chairs. He didn't know what to say, so he kept his silence. It was sweet, just sitting together, and if it had not been in the light of such an embarrassing situation, he probably would have never wanted it to end. As it was, he wanted to get this over with.

She finally spoke. "About last night--"

"I know," he cut in. "I don't judge you on any of your actions. You had no idea how creating a crystal would affect you, so really, it's not your fault at all. And I know you didn't control anything you said or did. So we can just forget it ever happened and have things go back to normal."

Cyclonis silenced him by placing a finger on his lips. It took all his self control not to kiss it. "That's not what I was going to say," she said, looking half annoyed and half scared. "I was going to say...I know that I wasn't myself last night, and that everything I did, I wouldn't have normally done. But I didn't lie, or say something I could take back that easily. You see, everything I said last night...it was completely true."

She took a deep breath. "I love you."

She looked at him, beautiful violet eyes wide, waiting for a response. The Dark Ace could only sputter in shock.

"You...you?" Then his eyes cleared. "I know what's happened. You knocked me out with a crystal as soon as I came through the door. I'm imagining the whole thing."

She grinned evilly. "Think you can imagine this?" she said, before leaning up to kiss him.

When they broke apart, she smiled at him, a sad smile. "Everything I said last night was completely true," she continued, "but everything I said before that was true too. We might have feelings for each other, but we can't let them get in the way of anything. Of this shadow-war. Of the spread of the Cyclonian Empire."

Dark Ace looked confused. "So...you're breaking up with me?"

"Not really. Breaking up with someone requires you to date him or her beforehand, then break up. We haven't really ever been a couple. Then, of course, when you break up with someone, you don't 'like them that way' anymore. I still love you, and I'm not going to deny it. I'm just saying that we both have to ignore this, because our duties come first. Maybe later, when this whole stupid war is over…" A tear leaked out of her eye, which he gently brushed away.

He leaned in, bringing their faces extremely close. "We shouldn't," she whispered. "We should make this a clean break. It'll just be more painful if we drag it out."

"We're the bad guys," he replied. "Do we ever do what we're supposed to?" Then he crossed the last of the distance and they kissed.

Finally, she broke away. "We should go back to the bridge," she said softly. "I think Aerrow and Piper are worried about if you're dead or not." She got up and walked out the door, and he stared wistfully at her.

What a mess. What a stupid, painful mess they were in. Usually the heroes of the story were fine once they confessed their love to one another, but it just didn't work that way in real life, did it?

He felt her last kiss on his lips, on his heart. He would treasure it, and never forget it, and maybe, when this was all over, just maybe, he would get another.

_Snap out of it!_ he told himself. _You're acting like a scolded puppy dog. You're the Dark Ace! You _never _lose, and this isn't any different. It shouldn't even be that hard, as she loves you!_ He hurried after her.

On the bridge, everyone was looking nervously at a message bird crouched on Finn's arm. "We have a bit of a situation from Terra Vapos…" he began.

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Me: Mwahahahaha! I'm so evil! Number one, of course Dark Ace and Cyclonis can't just live happily ever after! There's no plot in that! Number two, you might get another chapter today if I get a lot of reviews. If not, you'll have to wait with that cliffhanger…

Stork: Why should they even bother? Everyone knows what's going to happen.

Me: WHAT!?! You found my story notes?

Stork: No. But it's obvious. We're doomed, and nothing can change it.

Me: Stork, you are not doo—oh, wait, I can't say that; it would give something away. Let's just say that as long as you are alive, the story continues, and the story does not end next chapter.

Stork: We're still doomed.

Me: Don't listen to him! Review anyway!


	27. Plans and Battles

Junko: Um, hi! Me and Radarr here are introducing this chapter!

Radarr: *Jumps up and down, squeaking*

Junko: What did you say?

Radarr: *Puts his hands on his head, then jumps up and down again, pointing*

Me: I think he's trying to say "Hurry up, the chapter's about to begin"

Junko: *whirls around, accidentally hitting Kitty and sending her flying through the air* Oop, sorry! You startled me. I didn't know you were there!

Me: *in a crumpled heap on the floor* See, this is when I really wish I were Cyclonis, and the Dark Ace was always there to catch me.

Radarr: *squeaks, acts out crying*

Me: Yeah, I guess you're right. Poor Cyclonis has it hard…I guess I'm happy being me. But crystal powers would be awesome! Plus, Dark Ace seems really nice.

Radarr: *face-palms*

Me: I know he's trying to kill me! But Cyclonis and my reviewers won't let him!

Junko: Well, thanks for reviewing, LethoBion, Pascy, Nezy, Love Shall Never Die, and Aerrow4eva. You guys are really awesome!

Me: Oh, LethoBion—you asked for an A/P chapter. The next couple chapters are a bit more action-filled, but I promise there will be one! Promise! All you other reviewers who have something you want, just say so! I'll write it! I'm writing this for you people, so it will be the way _you_ like it. And I don't own the Storm Hawks!

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Piper stared at the map of Terra Vapos, concern evident on her face. "This is going to be tricky, guys," she began. "The problem is, they have no force fields. To shield the entire Terra, we'd have to set up the crystals on the mountain, six miles from the main settlement. The shadows will get there maybe three minutes after us, and that's if we're lucky, so we won't have time to set up the shield before the shadows arrive. If we defend the town, we can only hold off their overwhelming numbers for so long, but if we set up the shielding crystals, they all die. It's a lose-lose situation."

"Okay, why don't we split up? Half of us defend the town and half of us set up the crystals?" Aerrow asked.

"Great plan, except for the fact that the shadows can just attack the crystal group, wipe them out, then proceed to the town," Piper groaned. "They'll see our skimmers in a millisecond!"

"So we go to the main settlement as if we were just going to defend it, then three—that should be enough to carry all the crystals—will run the six miles, and set up the shield. No crystal power used on the way, no machines, so we'll be undetectable. I can even rig up a crystal that will mask our heat signatures, so the shadows will never know we snuck under them. If you can hold the shadows off for about an hour, we'll be fine." Cyclonis was used to making plans, and as usual, it was an extremely good one. Too bad back on Cyclonia there had been unskilled henchmen and determined Storm Hawks to mess her up, or she would have ruled all of the Atmos by now.

Piper nodded. "It might just work, but who is going to run?"

"You and I, Piper," Cyclonis said quickly. "We're crystal experts. And Starling can come to give us physical protection, in case the shadows do notice us."

"Cool! Awesome plan! Starling kicks shadow-a—"

"Finn!" Piper called. "Watch your language!"

"We're all doomed anyway," Stork sighed. "Might as well go down this way. Quicker and less painful than the mind worms."

Even Aerrow agreed. "I like this plan. Piper, you'll be safe away from the main battle."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Aerrow, I've been fighting as a part of this squadron since we were both kids. You don't have to act like my mother now that you're my boyfriend, you know! I can protect myself!" Aerrow grinned cheekily at her, and her annoyance melted.

Dark Ace was the only one who didn't seem comfortable with this plan. "Master, are you sure? What if something happens to you when I'm not there?" he asked, worried.

"You're the one in the battle," Cyclonis replied. "Try not to get yourself killed."

"But Master, six miles of running? What about your—"

"Dark Ace, I've made my decision. Now ready your skimmer." He didn't leave. "That's an order!"

He looked at her sadly. "I love you," he said.

"I know," she replied, then he left.

Aerrow, Dark Ace, Finn, and Junko all sat on their skimmers. Using a message crystal, Piper got two girls from the town to come up and man the Condor's energy cannons. Surprisingly, Finn paid absolutely no attention to them, even though the three female Storm Hawks (well, two of them were honorary) had been dropped off at the edge of town.

The sun was slowly hidden from view as the swarm of shadows covered the sky.

Aerrow was reviewing with the king what to do. "Keep all your people in the basement, and take this crate of light-exploders. If we're all…gone…you can use them to keep the shadows at bay for as long as possible." The king nodded gratefully.

"Aerrow, time to send up the signal," Dark Ace ordered. Aerrow lifted a glowing dagger into the air, and let out a blast of energy. At least, he tried to. It went about twenty feet in the air before it fizzled into nothing.

The Dark Ace sighed, and rushed over, grabbing the weapon and shooting the flare-light himself. This one rose strongly into the air, signaling for the fight to start.

He returned the dagger to the sheepish teenager, then the Storm Hawks and Dark Ace rushed to their skimmers, and the battle began.

Finn was actually enjoying a fight for once. He liked the feeling of doing something worthwhile, of protecting his people. He was proud to be the Great Domo, even if he still did say "Gomo" every once in a while. Also, he wanted to make Starling proud. No one ever took him seriously; he wanted to change that. He took careful aim with his crossbow, hitting shadow after shadow out of the sky.

The shadows rained down, more and more, so he decided to try a tactic he put together himself. _Think creatively,_ Starling always said. _Fool the enemy._ This was his plan, and Piper helped him rig up the crystals.

He pressed the big, new red button on his skimmer. Nothing happened. He was about to slam it again when the crystals on his wings came to life, and a small force field appeared around the cockpit of his skimmer.

Now he was the weapon. He dove into the cloud of shadows, running over the beasts of darkness, who were so vulnerable to his crystal-covered skimmer. "Tcha-cha," he whispered to himself, before dive-bombing more shadows.

Aerrow had given up at trying to shoot and was doing what he did best: jumping and slashing while Radarr piloted. Dark Ace somehow managed to slash, blast, and not crash his skimmer all at the same time.

Junko was doing what he did best: smashing things. He flew the lowest of the Storm Hawks, blasting all the Shadows that managed to get past the other three, which were very few, considering.

The Condor was acting as the last barrier before the basements, as its crystal force field would hold off the shadows. Stork and the Vapos girls were blasting as best they could, too. It was a feat of remarkable luck that none of them hit the Storm Hawks, especially since none were trained at shooting the cannons.

Time began to blur and no one was sure quite how long they could keep this up. Finn was fine, as was Junko, but Aerrow and Dark Ace, who were taking the brunt of the attack, were tiring quickly. Dark Ace wouldn't show it, but he was extremely worried about his Master. She really shouldn't have gone running, especially when—a shadow got way to close to him and he slashed it, distracting him from his thoughts. Battle now, worry about her later, he decided.

Five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. Time ticked by, and the shadows just kept coming. Their only hope was if their teammates succeeded, and succeeded fast. Otherwise, as Stork would say, they were all doomed.

Finally, a red wave crossed the sky, separating the 100 lower shadows from the mass above. The great army seemed to realize that getting into the Terra was hopeless, as it slowly began to fly off and the sun filtered back through. It was little work for the Storm Hawks, tired as they were, to get rid of the remaining shadows.

"Great job, guys!" Aerrow complimented. "Now, let's pick up the girls!" With that, four skimmers raced into the air towards the glowing red epicenter of the shield.

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Cyclonis: I heard rumors about the introduction to this chapter…I wanted to make it clear: Dark Ace is _MINE._

Me: Way to be possessive. Why does everyone assume I'm in love with a boy when I think he's nice?

Piper: That's happened to you before?

Me: Way to many times. I was trying to be welcoming at a Decathlon scrimmage, and I chatted with a boy from another school, and everyone, including the vice-principal, instantly decided that I had a crush on him. So embarrassing!

Cyclonis: Okay, I forgive you.

Me: You're getting soft! Must be that you're in _love._

Cyclonis: And what is this about me stopping Dark Ace from killing you? Why am I doing that again?

Me: Because we're friends?

Cyclonis: Whatever. You amuse me. That's the only reason you're still living.

Me: Plus I think you like this story.

Cyclonis: Who cares what you think? It's what the readers think that matters. So review, people! Kitty is strongly considering putting up another today, but she wants five reviews.

Me: I know. I'm spoiled and greedy. But please?


	28. Running

Author's Note: This note is just me. I mean, the Storm Hawks are fun and all, but it gets a bit hectic having them in the introduction. (Cyclonis: Mwahahaaha, I'm not a Storm Hawk, and you can't kick me out it you tried!) I want to thanks Love Shall Never Die, Pascy, Bergie, and LethoBion for reviewing. It really does mean a lot to me, and I'm super-thankful! (Cyclonis: That's only four, can't you count? Me: Four reviews in half an afternoon! I'm super thankful, not super greedy!)

Okay, this chapter occurs simultaneously with the last one.

I do not own the Storm Hawks. Let's begin!

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A little blue spark fizzled up. Starling and Piper stared in confusion. "Was that the signal?"

A blue bolt of energy shot straight into the air, before exploding above their heads. "Nope," Cyclonis clarified. "_That_ was the signal." They all hefted their packs on their shoulders and began to run.

In about three minutes, Cyclonis was panting and lagging behind. Piper and Starling brought their jogging to a stop. "How—much—further?" she wheezed.

Starling and Piper exchanged a look. "Six miles," Starling replied harshly.

"But we've been running for—"

"Then make that five and three quarters miles."

Cyclonis felt really, really idiotic. She had never been the athletic type, and as much as she hated to admit to any weakness, she had asthma. Pride had spurred her to volunteer for this, pride mixed with the need to be away from him.

What if he died when she wasn't there to protect him? Oh, no, that couldn't happen! It just couldn't! This was so stupid, so petty. She deserved the feeling of fire in her lungs if he only got a tiny scratch from her not being there.

She lasted for about another minute until she knew that there was absolutely no way that she could carry on.

Actually, there was a way, but she didn't want to think about it. It was a last resort, and ancient Cyclonian secret, passed down from Master to Master. She had hoped to never have to use it, but unfortunately, it seemed like she would.

A bit of history might be helpful at this point. The seventeenth Master Cyclonis was highly successful, but as he began to age, he grew more and more paranoid, until he was sure that all his officers wanted to betray him and that the Atmosians wanted to torture Cyclonian secrets out of him. He became so scared of it that he decided he needed to learn to resist torture, so he forced his own Talons to torture him until it didn't affect him at all.

Of course, not all the Masters were tortured to the point of death. After this first Master recovered from his injuries, he was quick to teach his heir the secret he discovered: how to completely detach one's mind from their body.

The secret had been passed down from Master to Master, until the current Master Cyclonis was the only one who knew how to do it. She never had liked using it, and she had never been good at doing it for extended periods of time, but she had to now.

She tried to take a deep breath, and not really succeeded because her lungs were already throbbing with the pain of breathing in. Then she flipped a switch in her mind, and everything faded.

She felt as though she were floating above herself, watching everything happen. She couldn't feel the ground anymore, or her feet pounding, or her lungs breathing. If she could have shivered, she would. How did she know that she was still breathing?

The landscape passed like a movie. Everything sounded muted, and she knew that her reactions would be far slower, but luckily, none of it mattered. She just had to keep running.

Strangely, she found it relaxing. She felt utterly disconnected from the world around her, and it would be so easy just to fall asleep. No! She had to keep moving her legs forward, forward, forward.

Everything was strange and dreamlike. Time seemed to passed in slow motion. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest, but she couldn't feel it.

As she ran, her mind wandered. She thought about the Dark Ace. A lot of the time now, she wished she had just fallen to her death after her very first encounter with the shadows. It would have been a lot easier than dealing with all this emotional garbage that he brought up.

Everything she felt around him contrasted to what she had been taught as a child. Around him, she was weak, like she needed him to keep going. She had been raised to be independent, told to never need another human to survive. She had been taught not to become attached to anyone, because they'll only be taken away. She didn't know how she would go on if he died. She didn't think she could.

Everything she had grown up by, every piece of harsh yet true piece of Cyclonian wisdom that had been ingrained in her from early childhood, she would have to throw away to be with him. As much as she wanted him, it was that Cyclonian wisdom that had kept her alive, and successful all those years. She couldn't just ignore it now. She kept running.

She noticed that she was being held back; that her feet were moving forward but she wasn't going with them. Strange. She kept running in place for a minute, then she recognized Piper's voice. "We're here. It's time to set up the crystals." Piper sounded strange, like she was under water.

Cyclonis threw her crystal into the air, activating it with her mind, as Piper and Starling did the same thing. A huge web of red descended around the Terra.

Cyclonis just stood there, smiling.

"Laaaaark? Aaaaaaare yooooooooou oooooooookaaaaaaaaay?" Piper's face swam in her vision, and her voice echoed weirdly in Cyclonis's mind.

Cyclonis had to do something. This wasn't the way she was supposed to be. What was she supposed to do?

Suddenly, she remembered: she needed to reconnect her mind and her body. They had been separated for nearly an hour. Or was is a day? Or was it a minute? Time had long since lost its meaning to her.

She let her mind reconnect, and was shocked as a wave of pain hit her. There were flaming knives driving down her windpipe. Her lungs seized up, and she couldn't breathe. Her world started to turn black, because the lack of oxygen coming to her brain, and she welcomed it. Even the never-ending blackness was better than this pain, physical and emotional.

"What do you mean, it looks like she has asthma!?!" Starling sputtered. "She wouldn't have volunteered to run if she had asthma. What kind of person would do a stupid thing like that?"

Piper hung her head. "She wasn't thinking straight. She was mad or sad or something about the Dark Ace, so she volunteered, even though she shouldn't have. Oh, what are we going to do?"

The hum of skimmer engines filled the air. "Here comes the rest of the Storm Hawks. They'll have a First Aid kit, and that should have the necessary crystals to revive her," Starling replied, all business.

Piper ran to Aerrow's skimmer, which held the kit, and yanked it out. Unfortunately, it hadn't been closed right the last time and all the crystals were flung onto the ground. Dark Ace had found his way to his Master's side.

"She's not breathing!"

"Well, duh!" Piper replied scathingly. She ran to her friend and began pumping her chest.

"What are you doing? Get the crystal!"

"What does it look like? Someone needs to keep the air going in and out!" The Dark Ace's hands replaced hers.

"I'll make sure she keeps breathing. You find that crystal!"

All of the Storm Hawks were on their hands and knees, holding up various crystals, looking for the one needed to save their friend. Pump-pump, pump-pump. The Dark Ace's hands moved in a steady beat. He tilted her head back, and brought his mouth over hers. He exhaled sharply, pushing the air into her lungs. He tried not to think about the position they were in; she was nearly dead, and all that was on his mind was how beautiful she was, and how much he loved to kiss her.

Pump-pump. Breathe. Pump-pump. Breath. Her lungs went up and down with the air forced into them, but it wasn't enough.

Pump-pump. Breathe. Piper found the crystal and slammed it into her forehead, releasing its full energy and restarting all of her vital processes. She would have gasped for air except her lips were locked with him.

He jumped back. "Master, you're alright! Thank goodness; you had stopped breathing for a minute there—"

He was silenced as she pulled him in for another kiss.

It was really messed up. She had already told him that they needed to stay apart, but she just couldn't stop herself from kissing him again. She cursed internally, but then all coherent thought was gone as he began kissing her back.

The Storm Hawks stood watching awkwardly. "Um, Lark and Ace?" Piper said tentatively. "Can this wait? We've got a war to think about right now."

The two Cyclonians broke apart, blushing. Cyclonis continued to call herself as many nasty names as she could think of in her head. She had told him that they would have to stay away from each other less than three hours ago, and already, they were making out again. In public. When they had other things that they were supposed to be doing.

Was her resolve really that weak? No, she decided. He was just too damm hot. And smart, kind, funny, loyal, caring, romantic, mysterious, strong, loving, and hot.

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Poor Cyclonis—now that's she's had the first taste, she can't stop kissing her Snugglebunny!

That's the chappie for the day! Up tomorrow is an Aerrow/Piper chapter (I know…they're the one pairing I said would be in here that I haven't really done!) Please review, it makes me happy. I like being happy. So please review!


	29. Memories

Author's Note: This is the long-awaited A/P chapter. LethoBion, it's for you!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks.

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Piper and Aerrow stood on the balcony together as they watched the rest of the gang inside. Finn and Junko were tossing something around, and they had even gotten Starling to join their game. Stork was ducking every time it flew near him, probably murmuring about projectiles and decapitation dangers. Cyclonis was sitting in Dark Ace's lap, and they both seemed deep in thought.

"You know what?" Aerrow's voice surprised her, causing her to jump. He smiled, winding a lock of her soft midnight blue hair around his fingers.

"Don't startle me like that," she complained.

"They remind me of us, before we really got together. Do you remember our first kiss?"

"How could I forget? It was the best and worst day of my life…"

_xxxFlashbackxxx_

Piper was glum. It was Valentine's Day, and Dove had invited them to Terra Gale. As much as it would be fun to go to her party, Piper couldn't help but notice the way Dove looked at _her_ Sky Knight.

She had a major secret crush on Aerrow, and she refused to admit it to anyone. Aerrow was a Sky Knight, and he had Cyclonians to worry about. Also, she was afraid of destroying their friendship if he didn't return her feelings. All in all, her love could tear apart the Storm Hawks, and nothing was worth that.

On Terra Gale, everything was proceeding just as she imagined. There was way too much chocolate, which she ate anyway. Junko was eating all the food he could get his hands on. Finn was trying to hit of Dove, who was completely ignoring him, and trying to get Aerrow alone.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was one of Dove's cousins. He was really cute, but she barely noticed. "Salut!" he said happily. "Ça va?" She looked at him, utterly confused for a second. "Oh, Engleesh. He-low?"

"Um, hi," she replied.

He pointed to himself. "Matt-tew," he said.

"Matthew?"

"No. Mat-tew." He had a way of not pronouncing the 'h,' making the 't' hard. She tried.

"Mat-tew."

He smiled. "Oui!"

She glanced around, and noticed that Dove and Aerrow were nowhere to be seen. This was just getting worse and worse! This was her nightmare, and it was coming true! She quickly backed away from _Mat-tew_, mumbling, "I'm sorry, I have to find my friends!" Her suspicions were confirmed: Aerrow and Dove were nowhere in the room! She sat down in the corner alone, determined not to cry. She was stronger than that, she told herself.

Aerrow and Dove were outside. Aerrow was blushing furiously. "I'm not going to do that! What if she rejects me?" he whined.

"You are a Sky Knight!" she scolded. "You fight ze Cyclonians! Surely you are not afraid on one little girl!" His face turned even more red.

"I am going to tell her if you won't, and I will tell her how you refused to do so yourself!" she proclaimed.

"Okay, okay!" Aerrow groaned. "I'll tell her. But I wish I never went to you for romantic advice! You are way to forceful."

"You are lucky to 'ave me," she replied haughtily. "You would 'ave never told her without me." With that, she grabbed his hand and marched him inside.

Piper looked up from her corner to see Aerrow and Dove standing above her. Dove was clutching Aerrow's hand. She felt sick.

"Well, tell her!" Dove ordered.

If she could move, Piper would have covered her ears. All she could do was stare, frozen, like a deer in the headlights.

Aerrow looked at the ground, feeling awkward. "Um, Piper, well, um, Dove and I wanted to tell you something—" Dove punched him on the shoulder. "Okay, well, I wanted to tell you something. I've felt this way for a long time, and I've always been too scared to let you know, but, well—"

Piper stood, blinking tears from her eyes. "You've finally asked Dove on a date. Good for you. Now could you leave me alone?" she spat, pushing past him.

"No, Piper, wait!" he called. "Piper, I love you!"

Piper turned, tears now falling from her eyes, the most exuberant smile lighting up her face. "You could have just said so," she whispered, then bounded back over to kiss him.

Dove looked smug, with her hands on her hips. "See? I told you so. It was zat easy!"

_xxxFlashbackEndsxxx_

"Did you really have to go to _Dove_ for romantic advice?" Piper teased. It was easy to look back on it now and laugh.

"Who else would I have asked?" Aerrow replied. "Starling? That would have felt awkward. She probably would have given me a lecture about how Sky Knights aren't allowed to date!" He leaned over and kissed her. "Anyway, everyone says that French is the most romantic language. Surely she would know something of the subject!"

Piper rolled her eyes. "I think you still have a crush on her."

"I never did have a crush on her! You're mixing me up with Finn!"

"Prove it!"

He kissed her, for a long time.

Ever since they had taken the three guests onto the ship, they had very little alone time. Even without their honorary members, the Storm Hawks usually kept the pair busy enough that all they got together were stolen moments. Today, however, they hopefully had a good solid hour or two to spend, just the two of them. Piper smiled at the thought, and they kissed again.

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Author's Note: Did you really think I would skip the note? No, it just got moved to the end!

Thanks as always to everyone who reviews: Love Shall Never Die, Tege, Aerrow4eva, Pascy, Nezy, and Bergie. We've passed the 150 mark in reviews! I never thought that anything I've written would be read that much! You guys are amazing, and you really make writing worthwhile. Every day I check my email about twenty times to see if anyone has reviewed. I want you to know that I'm really thankful for every word you write!

Okay, that was my Aerrow/Piper chapter. I wasn't really sure how to do it, but it was my best try. I could just picture a flustered Aerrow trying to tell Piper his feelings, and Piper jumping to the wrong conclusions! I'm more used to writing MC/DA, but there's a first time for everything, right?

I'm in French 1 in high school, and it's not hard, but it's not easy. "Salut," pronounced "sall-lou," is an informal way to say "hi." "Ça va?" literally means "It goes?" It's how one might ask "How are you?" "Oiu," pronounced "We," means, "Yes."

Review, merci!


	30. Eye of the Storm

Author's Note: We are officially reaching the climax, people! Besides this chapter, I think there are going to be three more, then an epilogue, then this story is done. (I'm sad. I'm really sad. There's a poll on my profile about whether I should think about a sequel or not, so if you want to, vote. I know it's still early, but I'd like to know your opinion!)

Thanks as always to my reviewers: Bergie, Aerrow4eva, Zapwing, and LethoBion. If you haven't yet reviewed, you still have the chance! Actually, about four more chances! So please review, because it means a lot to me, and I want to know what you think: questions, comments, anything!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks.

Thanks for reading. Let the chapter begin!

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The nervous crackle of Jeremiah's voice filled the bridge. "There's a weird storm around Atmosia. We've called all the citizens under the force field, and all the citizens of the Terras in the surrounding quadrants, and warned all commercial ships to stay away. We were wondering if you could stop by, though, and check it out. It's not natural, and some of us suspect that another portal is opening up."

Aerrow and Piper had rejoined the crew. Everyone was crowded around the little radio, listening the Sky Knight Council leader over the static-sounding machine. "We'll head over right away," Aerrow replied.

"Describe this storm," Cyclonis cut in. "What does it look like? Will we have to fly through it?"

"It's really dark," his voice crackled. "It goes on for miles and miles. Biggest thing any of us have ever seen. It's lit up by a lot of flashes of lightening. It's completely surrounding the Terra, and it's like a giant hurricane, and we're right in the eye." He paused. "Why do you think it's targeting us?"

"Besides Cyclonia, most Terras look to you for guidance and governing," Cyclonis said, almost distracted. "With Atmosia gone, the spirits of the people would be crushed, and half the Terras would just surrender. Also, there's the fact that Terra Atmosia has the greatest population, nearly thirty times the average Terra. I want to examine this storm."

She took out her Star Shard, eyes focused on whatever vision it was showing her. For a minute she just stood there, then two minutes. More and more time past, until finally she blinked. Everyone was silent as she walked over to the radio. "Did you say that you ordered all the citizens from the Terras in surrounding quadrants to Terra Atmosia?"

Even over the airwaves, Jeremiah seemed embarrassed and defensive. "We're the only one around that had a Cyclonian force-shield. I thought it was for best."

Cyclonis shuddered. "There's not time to evacuate now," she whispered, almost to herself.

"What's wrong?" Starling asked.

Cyclonis steadied herself. "That's no storm. That's no storm at all. It's all shadows, and Jeremiah has just gathered about a fourth of the Atmos and offered them on a silver platter."

The implications of her words set in. "Shadows," whispered Piper, "but that's impossible. There would have to be so many, we would have noticed or something!"

"How are we even going to get to the Terra?" Aerrow asked. "If it's surrounded? And what are they waiting for?"

"If we shield completely, and keep using Velocity Crystals, hopefully we'll be able to punch through the shadows. We'll have to time it so that Atmosia puts the shield down just as we come in then gets it right up again, but it's possible." Cyclonis didn't mention what they were waiting for, but she knew. She had felt the desire they had for _her_ life-force, and she knew they would lay siege to Atmosia until she came.

Piper nodded. "I have a whole crate of them in my crystal storage." All the teens shot her a look. "What? With Cyclonia paying for our expenses, I though we might as well get some better stuff!"

Finn sulked. "Why didn't you tell us about this before?"

"No reason, it has nothing to do with the fact that you'd probably steal them all for a quick side trip to Terra Tropica!"

Finn winced. "They might need help setting up defenses. It was for selfless reasons, okay?" Piper just rolled her eyes.

Cyclonis face-palmed. "Get it together, people! Piper, you point out the crate to Aerrow, then grab me as many shielding crystals as we have. I'll stand on the bridge, and as soon as we get to the storm, I'll make a complete moving shield surrounding us."

Stork twitched. "It won't work. We might have enough Velocity crystals, but we've been going through shielding crystals since we've given them out every chance we get. Your shield won't last halfway through that cloud of shadows."

Cyclonis took a deep breath. "When we run out of crystals, I'll make some. Now let's hurry up and get this ship moving before I realize how insane this whole plan is and chicken out." No one questioned her after that.

Cyclonis stood on the balcony outside the bridge of the Condor, waiting. The wind gently blew her hair backwards, and a pair of strong hands grabbed the billowing locks and began twisting them. "You don't have to do this."

She didn't turn. "You know I do, so why are you trying to convince me otherwise?"

"Because if we plunge into that storm of shadows and you have any doubts in your head, we don't have a chance. So you either have to be sure, of you have to call this off right now."

"Dark Ace sent you, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Aerrow admitted, ashamed. "He thought…you'd be less likely to bite my head off. As I'm your host and all."

"Bite your head off? With all that hair? You'd taste disgusting!"

Aerrow laughed. "Somehow, everyone always seems to think there's something wrong with my hair! What is it about the world and my hair?"

Cyclonis laughed. "It's just so cute to see you get all defensive whenever anyone teases you about it." She sighed. "Oh, Aerrow, you would be a fun little brother to have."

"With Dark Ace as my 'older brother'? Because that would be kind of awkward, you know, with you and him—" She punched him playfully on the arm.

"But seriously," he continued, still smiling. "We don't have to do this. We can think of another plan."

"Aerrow, there is no other way. Like it or not, this is a decisive battle, a turning point in this war. For all we know, it might be the end of this war. Atmosia is an important Terra—it's considered the height of free living. There are too many people there now for the Atmos to recover from the blow if we don't go to defend them. For all we know, all the shadows could be gathered there, and it might be our chance to end this for once and for all."

"I don't get it," he said. "They aren't even your people. Why are you so willing to risk you life for them?"

"I thought you'd understand, Aerrow," she replied sadly. "It doesn't matter if they're my people or not. What matters is that they _are_ people. Because we have the power to defend them, we have the responsibility to defend them. I am scared. I am unsure if I'll live to see seventeen. But I do know that I can't run away, not when I have the power to help."

Aerrow grinned. "You've changed a lot. I think I like the new you better."

Cyclonis nodded distantly, a nostalgic look in her eyes. "Truthfully, I haven't changed, I've grown. Parts of me that have wasted away in darkness for so long have been allowed to flourish. Everything that happens to you, one might argue, could change you; you're a different person today than you were yesterday. The challenge is to accept and love all parts of ourselves."

"And you succeed in this acceptance?"

"No, not at all. I'm not sure if anyone does, fully, but I do make an effort. It's the thought that counts."

"Well, my adopted big sister, I should return to the others now, tell them we're ready to go." He paused for a second, catching the look on her face. "What's wrong now? Why are you grinning in such a…scary way?"

"Oh, nothing, only that if I'm now your big sister I get to tease you about your hair whenever I want. And play with it. And steal your stuff. And boss you around. And—"

"I take back what I said. You're evil to the core!"

She giggled. "We are such siblings. Squabbling already."

Ten minutes later, the Condor was on course for Terra Atmosia. In the engine room, everyone was prepping for the Velocity-crystal additions. Stork had his eyes narrowed in concentration at the oncoming test of his unsurpassed piloting skills. Aerrow stood next to him in the bridge, trying to help coordinate it all.

Cyclonis stood on the balcony alone, surveying the skies ahead. It was the calm before the storm, quite literally. She had a short-range instant transmission crystal hooked up to the engine room, so she could communicate with everyone. "We're moving towards the edge of the storm," Aerrow said, "Start the Velocity crystals and the shields!"

In the engine room, Piper, Dark Ace, Starling, Finn, and Junko obeyed, carefully sliding the first Velocity crystal into the appropriate slot. Cyclonis was forced to grip the railings extremely tightly as the wind nearly blew her away. Still, she waited, as the Condor approached the edge of the hurricane of shadows.

"Cyclonis? Lark? Start that shield now."

Cyclonis looked calmly at the huge wall of darkness. "Not yet."

"We're twenty…ten…five feet-away-start-now!"

They plunged into the inky blackness, completely undefended. At first, the shadows scattered from their path, but then, they began squeezing closer, until the last tunnel left to light was gone. _All hope lost…_

Light. Not white light, but red light. A glowing burst of beautiful ruby surrounded the ship. The blessed red warded the shadows off, providing safety, and sanctuary. Right at the epicenter she stood, holding her crystal, looking paler than ever but also determined.

The Condor picked up speed as Velocity Crystal after Velocity crystal was deposited inside. "How are we doing?" Aerrow radioed down.

"Just fine," came Finn's reply. "I mean, there was one little blip where I tripped over Junko and nearly dropped five crystals, but Starling and Dark Ace caught them all. Then I was elected to have control over the radio."

"Cyclonis?"

"Don't you mean 'You Majesty My Amazing Older Sister Whom I Will Serve Forever.'"

"Ew! Cyclonis and Aerrow are related?"

"Shut up, Finn! Okay, from your sarcastic reply I can tell that you're holding out just fine. You know, you were the only who suggested this sibling thing to begin with."

Cyclonis smiled, despite the effort it took her and the fact she knew he couldn't see. "It's rubbed off on me from spending so much time here on the Condor, where you all treat each other like one big family. Plus, I know that the sibling-control system is a tyranny. Why do you think I wanted to be the _older_ sister?"

"Um, because you're actually older?"

"Aerrow, you're three weeks my elder."

"Now I feel really stupid."

"That's what older sisters do to their little brothers."

"I should probably stop distracting you now." He turned to Stork. "How close are we?" he asked.

"We have a problem. I can't really tell, due to the fact that there's absolutely no visibility and the Shadows are messing with our Timepulse signal," Stork replied nervously. "In short—we're doomed!"

"Piper, can you do the calculations for the speed of the Velocity Crystal?"

"Already done. At the speed we're at, if we started six miles away, which we did…two minutes before we reach the force field!"

Aerrow quickly radioed Jeremiah, but the signal was bad. "Two minutes!" he yelled. Only static came as a reply, then:

"We've got you on our radar. We're prepping the shield."

Aerrow and Stork let out simultaneous sighs of relief, then screams of terror as they burst out of the shadow hurricane's storm wall and into the eye. The Terra was approaching fast, and it was all the Condor could do to slow down. Just as it seemed the would slam into the shield, it flickered and disappeared, letting the Condor in before coming back to life. The Condor screeched to a halt just before coming out the other end of the giant red dome.

All around the ship, there were sighs of relief, except for Cyclonis, who was thinking. She pondered how little they knew about the shadows, and as much as she's hated it, how that stupid dream she'd had could have given the a lot of useful information…

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There it is! Review! Vote on my poll! Cry with me.

Me: Booo, whoo! I hate the fact that this story is ending!

Shadow: _We shall soon feast on the life-energy of all of Atmos, and all the readers who dare not review. Actually, we'll probably consume the reviewers, too, but you might as well review anyway._

Me: How did you get here? This is my after-note, and I certainly didn't invite you.

Shadow: _We need no invitation. We come and go as we please, and there's nothing you can do to stop us. Out of curiosity, though, why aren't you running away? Even Cyclonis knows to fear us._

Me: Yeah, but this is my story and my after-note. I can't control how you react as a character, but everything else, I do control. AKA, here I am a God! *snaps fingers*

Shadow: *is suddenly wearing a pink tutu*

Me: Hahahahahahahahahahah. I really needed that! Now I'm all happy again! Actually, I'm still crying, but these are tears of laughter.

Shadow: _I'm going to gather up the remaining shreds of my dignity and leave now. Goodbye._


	31. Revelations

Author's Note: I want to thank all the people who reviewed, and I have a few shout-outs to make! First, thanks to LethoBion, Nezy, Hawk-Masters, Zapwing, Bergie, Tege, Aerrow4eva, and Love Shall Never Die. Smiles and cookies and milk and brownies to all of you! Um, Zapwing, you already have a shadow, just step in the light to see it! But if you want another, I'll put an ad in the 'jobs' section of the _Shadow Times._ Ok, also, I think there's been a bit of confusion about who's related to who. Piper and Cyclonis are so close friends that they _seem_ like sisters. Key word: seem. Not related at all! Also with Aerrow and Dark Ace: Cyclonis was teasing them when she called them brothers. They're not related at all! And I think it was pretty obvious last chapter that Aerrow and Cyclonis share no blood. The point is, everyone of the Condor is so close that they all seem like family to each other. There's no actual family in this fanfic, at least.

About the title, it was going to be "Live Tonight," but I thought "Revelations" was more fitting, but, if you like "Live Tonight" better, then tell me and I'll change it!

Otherwise, read, review, and most importantly, enjoy!

Oh, I almost forgot—I don't own the Storm Hawks. Never had. Doubt that I ever will.

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As soon as they had safely docked outside of Atmosia, Master Cyclonis all but locked herself in her room. The rest of the Storm Hawks decided to respect her need for personal space. On Cyclonia, if she had been like this, she would have been left alone out of fear; here, it was out of kindness.

The vast differences between the Condor and her true home was one of the things she was thinking about.

Shadows occupied most of her mind. Somehow, she knew that her weird crystal powers had something to do with them. It was her strange dream that she thought back to mostly. As much as she hated imagining that she was a shadow, they were desperate for any knowledge that might help them win this war.

Reluctantly, she closed her eyes and retreated to her mind, starting the dream again.

If she were asked how she did it, she wouldn't know how to answer. It wasn't really sleep, it was more a meditation. Somehow, she was able to summon up the dream and continue it.

The blast of crystal energy hit her square in the chest. The Cyclonis-shadow laughed. If this is what death was like, then death was enjoyable. The crystal energy sizzled through her, filling her, satiating her hunger for a second, until she burst.

Later, and she knew it was later because how the sun had changed position, she regained awareness of her environment. She still felt good, but the hunger was coming back. Slowly, she pulled herselves together. Both selves.

There were two of the Cyclonis-shadows now.

The Cyclonis-shadows were rejoined by more and more and more shadows, until there was only blackness around again. She was in her human form, but she could still hear the shadows in her mind.

_You resisted bravely, but now you know just how utterly hopeless it was. You cannot defeat us. Fight us and your crystal energy will make more of us, don't fight us and the life force we drain will make more of us. We shall not be denied. We shall not lose._

The shadows sickened her, but she didn't have the strength of will to stop this vision.

_Every universe, there is always one, one who has powers greater than other people. One who is different, special. One with the capacity to join us._

Join them? Become a shadow? Never! But she didn't want to die…just how far would she go to save herself?

_We offer you a choice, little fighter. You can become a shadow the easy way, or the hard way. Dead or alive._ The blackness around her was laughing. _No,_ she thought, _Make it stop!_

Suddenly, she was back in her own mind.

She felt nauseous, sick.

Oh, God.

No, why?

Why, why, why, why, why?

All the times that they had been fighting them, they had just been making more.

Oh, God.

Atmos was doomed. They could hold off the shadows, but they'd only be feeding their power.

There was no way to kill them. Everything that actually worked against the shadows just helped them.

Oh, God.

Was there even a God? Was he, or she watching? Then why were they all going to die like this?

She didn't have to die.

Such a poisonous thought, that she was different, that she had a chance. That she had a choice. She tried to forget it; if Atmos was going down, she planned to go down with it. She had spent the first fifteen years of her life being considered a monster by this entire world. There was no way she was choosing to be one.

So she would die. They would all die. There was nothing anyone could do.

No, there was something she could do. She could absorb energy. What if she could suck all of the shadows' energy dry?

The shadows would die; she was sure of it. Energy was their life force, and if you drained their energy, you drained their life. Atmos would be safe. But she had no doubt it would kill her, too.

Was she ready to die? She would die anyway, if she didn't, but somehow, this felt different. It was one thing if the whole population of this world was going down, but another if it was just she. This wasn't in the heat of battle, it was a conscious, thought-out choice. Was she willing to die? She thought of their faces: Piper, Aerrow, Stork, Finn, Starling, Radarr, and all the nameless people that she had tried to conquer. She knew she should, but she didn't quite have to courage.

She thought of him. She thought of his beautiful crimson eyes, his dark hair, his cute little evil smirk. She knew in a second. Maybe she couldn't bring herself to die for all of the Atmos, but she would die for him.

She noticed that their bedroom was darkening, but she was still alone. She was scared—she didn't want to fall asleep, not since she was counting the hours until their next battle. She wanted to feel his arms around her one last time, so she waited.

"Dark Ace."

The door slid open, and her trusted servant, her advisor and mentor, her friend, her love walked inside.

"Master. You're still awake. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." He seemed sincere, genuinely worried. He leaned over where she sat curled on the bed and in a flash she grabbed him, pulling him down next to her, and kissed him.

"Look me in the eyes, Ace," she whispered. "No crystals. Just me." Tears began to well up. He hugged her closer.

"Master, what's wrong?" he asked. She didn't answer, so he leaned down and kissed her gently. "Master, you can trust me."

"I do trust you, Ace. I love you." She clung to him too, kissing back. "Tell me you love me."

"Master, you know I love you," he replied, looking into her wide violet eyes. She kissed him again, more forcefully.

"Don't call me Master anymore. I don't care about being Master. Just call me Lark," she said softly.

Dark Ace cupped her face in his hands. "Master—Lark—something's wrong, I can tell. Just let me know."

Tears spilled out of her eyes, down her cheeks. "Ace, I'm going to die tomorrow," she said, "but I want to live tonight."

Then she kissed him.

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Well, if that's not a cliffhanger, I don't know what is! I love being evil…everyone seems to review more when it's a cliffhanger. Plus, I mean, it's so suspenseful during the climax that I can't help making things cliffhangers. But, I mean, what a revelation! Bet you didn't see _that_ on coming!

Tomorrow's chapter is coming up—tomorrow—called…um, truth be told, I haven't decided yet. Plus, that would be giving it away.

Okay, in case there is any confusion, Cyclonis is sixteen in this fanfic.

Review!

Shadow: _I heard that someone was looking to hire a shadow. How many people will I be fed per day?_

Me: Didn't you learn your lesson last time?

Shadow: _You did invite me this time; you're the one who put an ad in the paper. Plus, you might make your reviewer angry if you scare away their new pet shadow._

Me: I hope Zapwing makes you model tutus!

Shadow: _We'll see…Mwahahahahaha_

Me: You suck at evil laughing. It kind of helps when you have a mouth.

Shadow: _Oh, well. Review, people! As soon as we conquer the Atmos, I have some friends who are also looking for day jobs…you know, if any of you are interested…_

Me: No using my end note for your advertising! And who said that you'd win?

Shadow: _So you're giving away the plot?_

Me: I never said anything about who wins or loses! So ha!

Shadow: _Just review, people. See ya next time!_

Me: When did you get so friendly?

Shadow: _I just ate._

Me: Was it someone I know? …Actually, don't answer that. I don't want to know.


	32. Speeches

Author's Note: First, I want to thank Hawk-Masters, Bergie, Tege, Zapwing, Aerrow4eva, LethoBion, and Pascy for reviewing. You people are amazing. Also, I wanted to address a few concerns: some people were worried for Lark/Cyclonis (I still call her Cyclonis in my head. I just could never think of her as Lark.) Let me say this: Cyclonis may or may not die. She only _believes_ that she is going to die. She's probably going to pull off a highly dangerous move and will _probably_ die. There is always that chance that she will survive (I mean, seriously, I wouldn't kill off my favorite character. She bribed me with brownies.) So what I'm saying is everyone has a pretty good chance of dying, so don't freak out. (Plus, would I really offer a sequel if all the main characters had died off?)

About the sequel—I think the vote from the reviews (I haven't checked my poll) is 100% for a sequel. So as of now, it's a yes.

I don't own the Storm Hawks, now let's get this story started!

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Aerrow made breakfast the next morning. It was only toast, but everyone ate it as if it were their last meal. In all probability, it was.

"I'm going to go check the skimmers," he said, excusing himself as quickly as he could. He needed to clear his head of the depression that hung around the breakfast table. By the skimmers, and old friend was waiting.

Jeremiah stood wringing his hands in the hanger bay. "So, are we ready to fight?" Aerrow said.

"Well, there's a crowd of people. Actually, it's more like a mob. They're all waiting for a speech. You know, to make them calm down, and not panic."

Aerrow face-palmed. Fighting, he could do. However, his pep talks left something to be desired, and those were simply to his team. He wasn't really sure how he was going to do it.

"If it makes you uncomfortable…" Jeremiah began, "You don't have—"

"I'll do it." Cyclonis stepped out of the shadows, causing both males to jump. "I've been trained in public speaking in Cyclonia. I know how to talk to crowds." Both looked awkward, as not all Atmosians were that accepting of the Cyclonian aid, but they could think of no good objections.

Ten minutes later, Cyclonis stood before the crowds of Atmosia. They weren't too happy about their orator, but they were fairly respectful.

Cyclonis took the crystal microphone, looking almost nervous. "Can everyone hear me?" she asked. There was a general nodding from the audience. "Good, because I'd just want to speak to you. I wanted to start out by thanking you, for listening to me. Many of you still consider me an enemy, and I know it's a show of great respect and honor for your time and ears, despite that.

"We live in a time of troubles, and the black sky above us is a testament to just how bad this situation is. We are facing an army with superior numbers, and powers that we do not fully comprehend. Still, I am not afraid.

"I stand here today, just like you. Today, I'm not a foreign dictator or ambassador. Today, I'm just a sixteen-year-old girl, just as worried about the future as all of you. I do not stand here a Cyclonian. Just one week with the Storm Hawks has changed me greatly. Today, I am not a Cyclonian. I am a Storm Hawk! And if there's one thing I've learned, one thing from the brave and capable leader named Aerrow, from the greatest Sky Knight in the Atmos: it's that you can't take down a Storm Hawk with a storm!"

Aerrow blushed as the crowd went wild. Finn gave him a high-five and Dark Ace patted him on the back, smiling. The crowd screamed louder. Finally, they quieted down, giving Cyclonis the silence she needed to continue.

"If we dwell in the past, then we can never move forward. I know that the past cannot be forgotten. I do not ask for your forgiveness for the crimes I have committed against the free world, nor do I deny those crimes or dodge any responsibility. However, it is the future we must look forward to, and now, I say the future is not dark! For if we stand together, nothing, no shadow, can ever defeat us!

"I want to memorize all of your faces. I want to know all your names. And today, when I fly into battle, and when things seem the worst, it is you who I will remember. It is you who will give me strength. Because we, the people, shall never be defeated!

"Today, I am a Storm Hawk, and I say: 'The sky is never the limit!'"

The crowd burst into cheers.

For about an hour, the Storm Hawks distributed spare weapons, gave out tips for fighting shadows, and overall encouraged the now riled-up crowd. It was exhausting work, smiling and acting unperturbed when they were probably more scared than the people they comforted, but it was also rewarding. Cyclonis nearly broke down crying when a little girl, probably no less than three, gave Cyclonis her own lollipop, saying, "You're my hero!"

Finally, the crowds of people were gone, and the Storm Hawks could go back to the hanger bay. They all fiddled with their weapons and skimmers for a minute, then Aerrow broke the uncomfortable silence. "Um, I'm not sure if all of us will be coming back. It's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth. So, um, any goodbyes, we should say them now. I wanted to tell you all that you're like family to me, and I love you all. You're the best squadron anyone could wish for, and it's been an honor serving with you. Starling…if I don't return, will you lead the Storm Hawks? Continue our mission?" Starling nodded, biting her lip to keep in tears. "Stork, you've been the best pilot. Radarr, buddy, I'll never forget all the antics we've been through. Junko, Finn—you guys are a handful, but I love you just the way you are. You're the best. Cyclonis, no, you don't get my room if I die." Cyclonis smiled, tears pouring down her cheeks, and she ruffled his hair, giving him a hug. "Dark Ace, I want you to know, what's past if past. I forgive you." Dark Ace nodded, unable to speak. Aerrow turned to Piper, whom he had been saving for last. "Piper, we've been together for six months, and those have been the greatest six months of my life. I want you to know that I love you." Piper smiled sadly, then rushed to his arms, sobbing on his shoulder.

"I love you, too, Aerrow," she whispered. "All of you. Finn, even though you're annoying and all, and Junko and Stork and Radarr. And Lark, I'm so happy I finally got to spend time with you. Best friends forever." She broke down, squeezing Aerrow harder.

Cyclonis smiled weakly. "What else is there to say? If I survive, I'll always be a Storm Hawk inside. I can promise you, you won't have to worry about war with Cyclonia ever again. We'll expand peacefully."

All around, everyone was saying more personal goodbyes. Stork was stroking the walls of the ship sadly, tears leaking from his large dark eyes. Aerrow and Piper were kissing. Dark Ace held Cyclonia. "I love you, you know," Dark Ace said.

"I don't know how. After what I've told you. After you know what I am." There were no secrets between the two. Cyclonis had told him everything, even the more _shadowy_ parts.

"I'll always love you. Nothing can change that," he replied, kissing her.

Finn stood awkwardly behind Starling. "Yes?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

He leapt forward and kissed her full on the lips. Her eyes widened. "What was that for?"

"In case we don't come back," Finn replied, flustered.

Starling slapped him. "That's in case we do." She blushed, then leaned in to kiss him again, quickly. "And, as you said, that is in case we don't." Then she turned, red-cheeked, back to her work.

"Okay, to the skimmers, everyone!" Aerrow called. "We've got a battle to fight!"

"No! Stop!" It was Cyclonis. "You can't go out there and blast those shadows."

Everyone but Dark Ace looked at her suspiciously. "Why not?" Piper asked. "You're not chickening out, are you?"

"The energy from the crystals—we're just helping them reproduce!" None of them looked like they were buying it, and Cyclonis wasn't quite ready to spill the beans on her I'm-a-shadow secret. "I've seen it!"

"Um, are you sure?" It was Aerrow, looking skeptical.

"Yeah, um, I've been watching them, um, watching them with the Star Shard. To try to gain extra information about them. Yeah, and um, I was looking at the sites of battles we've fought, with the Star Shard, and I saw shadows appearing there, and I got curious, so I watched carefully after are next battle. Sure enough, every shadow we take down, at least two replace."

The Storm Hawks were shocked.

"What are we going to do?" Piper asked, breaking the silence.

"You are going to do nothing. I know how to kill them, using my new crystal powers. I'll fight them alone."

"You'll die." It was Finn, being blunt. "You don't have a chance."

"We'll all die anyway," Cyclonis replied, "and I have a good chance of saving this world. So stay in the Condor, stay on this Terra, and let me go."

She floated up into the air. "I know it's hard. It's harder to wait, not knowing, than to fly into battle, but there's nothing you can do to help me, and I'd feel better knowing you'd be safe. Promise me."

The Storm Hawks nodded mutely. What she asked was probably the hardest thing she could have requested, but for her sake they would respect it. After all, she was the one who was flying off into the cloud of shadows, not them.

She met the Dark Ace's eyes. "I love you," she whispered, and then she was gone, flying up past the shield, and into the darkness.

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Me: Mwahahaha, more cliffhangers! And this one, there's no argument! (Um, the last chapter totally was a cliffhanger—you just learned that there's basically no way for anyone but Cyclonis to fight off the shadows, and that all their efforts have helped the shadows. If that's not a cliffhanger, I don't know what is!)

Shadow 1: _I like this story. I'm eating the popcorn right now. Hey, what can I do to make you update sooner?_

Me: Don't you work for Zapwing now?

Shadow 1: _Yeah, it's my coffee break from the photo shoot. Don't ask!_

Me: And why is there a "1" in front of your name?

Shadow 2: _Because friends came. I'm here to meet Pascy. Can you introduce me?_

Shadow 3: _I saw an ad from Aerrow4eva._

Me: Um, sure. This shadow-pet thing is going way out of hand, though.

Shadow 1: _You should distribute popcorn instead. I'll help supply it._

Me: I guess I'm officially bribing people with shadows and popcorn to review, now.

Shadow 1: _Ignore my friends. Answer my question! How do I make the chapters come faster?_

Me: Well, reviewing helps. I'm writing three stories at the same time, and each one I'm trying to update every day, and each chapter takes me at least an hour to write. Don't even ask me how I'm doing my homework. So…I can't even promise the next chapter tomorrow!

Shadow 4: _You're evil, you know._

Me: How many friends did you bring?

Shadow 1: _I'm not going to answer that…let's just say, Weather Channel said today was supposed to be sunny._

Me:…Well, until next chapter, then!


	33. Facing Shadows

Me: Hi! I'm back, with a couple helpers!

Shadow 11: _Yeah, we're here to help pass out the popcorn. LethoBion, Pascy, Tege, Bergie, Aerrow4eva, Zapwing, Hawk-Masters, and Love Shall Never Die here's your popcorn for the finale chapter! No, it's not the last chapter, but it is the climax! And thanks for reviewing!_

Me: Why '11'? Where did '1-10' go?

Shadow 11: _Oh, various little things. I think you'll find 1 on the cover of Shadow Fashion Magazine. Wearing purple._

Me: But shadows don't wear anything…

Shadow 3: _Oh, yeah, and I have extra popcorn for Aerrow4eva._

Cyclonis: Why do they all obey you?

Me: Blackmail. Pictures of pink tutus.

Cyclonis: I don't want to know. Oh, please don't kill me off.

Shadow 2: _Who is that yummy-looking person?_

Cyclonis: *running away* GONE!

Shadow 4: _Well, I'm here to meet LethoBion. And eat your little brothers._

Me: Eat my little brothers? Yay! Well, actually, Mom would kill me. LethoBion, you got a really evil one!

Shadow 5: _Now I work for Pascy._

Shadow 6: _Is there a Tege around here? Because I heard that Tege was looking for a shadow, and with the economy and all, job opportunities are scarce.._

Shadow 9: _Well, I work for Hawk-Masters. It's an awesome job, once I got over the fact that I was not a superior comedian._

Me: Why didn't you tell me you were applying for a job? And what happened to 7 and 8?

Shadow 10: _Don't ask me. I'm Love Shall Never Die's shadow now._

Me: I don't own the Storm Hawks, now let's begin.

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Red and black. Red, the shield that she passed through, the thin eggshell of protection holding back the storm of terror. Black, the darkest night, the lack of all things bright or good, the shadows she would have to face.

Red and black. The color of his eyes. The beautiful crimson orbs, with those deep black pools that she could drown in. His eyes were all she saw in her mind.

_So you've finally come. It is always the same. It matters not what world, what time, what universe. No human ever wants to die._ Their voices echoed in her head, taunting.

"I haven't come to surrender! I've come to destroy you, for once and for all!" she screamed.

_It is always the same. You think that you have the power to stop us. No one does, and even if you could, you would die. So tell us, human, what makes you different? What makes you willing to die?_

"Because there's something bigger than me. Something more important than me!"

_Why do you fight so hard to save all of their lives? They will all die anyway. It is inevitable._

"Yes, everyone will die, but people have the right to try to survive. People have the right to live, to laugh, to love, and to lie, or destroy their lives with alcohol and drugs. Either way, it's their right, and you cannot take it away from them." Cyclonis almost seemed as if she were convincing herself.

_We are not so different. Why do you try to conquer the Atmos?_

"People need a steady and capable ruler to thrive."

_Don't they have the right to choose their own ruler?_

"Many don't know what's good for them. They'll choose liars, or selfish politicians who care only for money."

_We are not so different. You would take away the people's right to choose their leader based on their inability to choose properly. We would take away the people's right to live based on their inability to live properly._

"No. You would take away the people's right to live to satisfy your own selfish need to continue your existence!"

_You would not call all humans monsters for needing to eat. You kill your cows and chickens for food. What makes us different? Is it the fact that you don't like that you're the cattle?_

"Cattle don't think!"

_How do you know?_

The shadows were surrounding her, circling her. One part of her wished that she would just get this over with, but another part of her was stalling for time. Underneath it all, she didn't want to die. She didn't realize quite how much until she faced it.

_Yes, of course you don't want to die. You don't want to die for them. You are the best of this world, so why should you have to sacrifice yourself for those stupid sheep?_

Why? Why was she doing this? She forced herself to think of their faces: the Storm Hawks, Starling, Minerva, Jeremiah, the child who had given up her candy. She thought of his face. "Because it not enough to be the best in the world!" she screamed. "You must be the best _for_ the world."

The shadows just laughed, and continued circling.

She had never felt so nervous before, so alone. She had come up here expecting a battle, not a debate. She was prepared for a battle. She was as prepared as one could be to die. What she wasn't prepared for was to have her motives questioned, or her arguments shaken at their foundations. As evil as they were, these shadows did have a point.

_You are alone. You always have been, and you always will be. Love isn't real. Why spend your life pretending? You are one of us. Come take your rightful place._

She shook her head, trying to force their serpent's voices out of her mind. "I may be alone, but that doesn't mean I have to be cold or bitter. And love is real—it's more real than any of us. Love is what binds this universe together. I am not one of you, because I have the capacity to love! That is what makes me human!"

The shadows squeezed in tighter and tighter until she felt their shadowy flesh like a second skin over her own. _Then we will kill you._

Slowly, she felt her life being sucked dry. Piper. Aerrow. Finn. Stork. Junko. Radarr. Starling. The Dark Ace. All the people in the Atmos. Their faces flashed through her mind, giving her strength.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, almost to herself.

Then, with all her might, she pulled back.

Suddenly, the shadows weren't draining her life anymore. She was draining theirs. Slowly, they began to fade into black mist, whirling faster and faster around her until it was all sucked into her chest.

The sun shone brightly above Terra Atmosia, and once again, there was not a cloud in the sky. Slowly, people on the streets began to come out, then they began to cheer. The shadows had been defeated.

Master Cyclonis, who was just a tiny speck floating in the great blue void, hovered there for a few seconds, then she fell. The Dark Ace was on his skimmer in an instant, catching her tumbling form.

A few seconds later, he was back, in the Condor. Piper came up and felt Cyclonis's forehead, then she began to sob.

The Storm Hawks could only stare at the distraught warrior, the hysterical navigator, and the motionless girl who had been willing to give her life to save theirs.

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Me: Well, that's the end, review and—

Cyclonis: I don't feel too good.

Me: What are you doing here!?!

Cyclonis: I came to annoy you, but I really don't feel too good. I think I'm going to go away now.

Me: HOW DARE YOU! YOU COMPLETELY GVE AWAY THE PLOT! THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO THINK THAT YOU'RE DEAD!

Cyclonis: Well, my head hurts so much that I wish I were dead.

Me: *sigh* Okay, Cyclonis isn't dead. This chapter. You really think I would kill her off without giving her a heart-wrenching deathbed scene?

Cyclonis: Please review, because the sooner you review, the sooner the next chapter comes up, and the sooner I get to see if I die or not. You think the suspense is killing you?

Me: Well, technically it's not the _suspense_ that's killing you. And the next chapter is almost done, I'm just waiting for review to post it. Um, final shout outs—The shadows just randomly chose Atmos. It was the next universe on their list, I guess. I'm fine with being called "Kitty," and so far, it seems like there definitely will be a sequel, so you guys don't have to worry!


	34. Life, Death, and Love

Author's note: What is this? Number 34? This has been my first story, and my little baby. This has been what's occupied all my free time (in a good way). This has been such an amazing success that I've gone and written seven others, and I don't really feel like a newbie author anymore.

I want to thank all the reviewers who have walked every step of this amazing journey with me: Bergie, Hawk-Masters, Love Shall Never Die, Helliexx, Pascy, Zapwing, Aerrow4eva, and Tege. Bergie, Shadow 13 says hi.

Look at me! I'm becoming all emotional here and I'm not even on the last chapter. (Yes, there will be an epilogue chapter). So, I don't own the Storm Hawks, and now let's start before I flat-out break down in tears. Did I mention that this chapter makes me cry? *sniff, sniff* Every time—when I wrote it, when I went back and edited it, when I edited it again… Okay, let's start now.

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Cyclonis opened her eyes to find herself in the Condor's infirmary. Her whole body was burning. She realized that she must have backed out for a minute there. "The shadows?" she croaked.

"They're all gone," Piper replied. There were tears falling down her cheeks.

So her plan had worked. The shadows were all gone, and now she was dying. The massive amount of energy that she had taken in was killing her.

She looked up and found herself in his arms. Of course. He would never leave her, especially not when she needed him the most. Another wave of fire wracked through her thin frame, causing her to groan in pain. He wiped the sweat from her forehead, unshed tears brimming in his eyes.

There was something she had to say. She opened her mouth, but the words wouldn't come. She swallowed dryly, then tried again. This time, she was more successful.

"Dark Ace," she began, "we've been so stupid. We thought that all the wrong things were important. We cared about our reputations, about fighting and crystals and leading and ruling. We worked so hard to maintain respect, or fear. We believed that our duty was to Cyclonia, that expanding the empire came first, that nothing else mattered.

None of that seems that important now. It's all just fading away."

"Ace, we were so blind."

"Ace, I want you to know that I love you, before I die."

Tears were falling from her eyes now. She didn't stop, though.

"Ace, I love you, and I almost missed out on it. And now, when it's all ending, that's the only thing that death can't rip away from me. I love you. I think I always have, deep down. I know I always will. Nothing can take that from me."

"Love is what matters when life closes. I only wish that it didn't take death to make us finally figure out the truth."

"I love you. That's all that should have mattered. That's all that _does_ matter, now. I love you."

She coughed, her small frame trembling, her hand covering her mouth. As she lowered it, there were spots of red on it. She shook even more.

"Ace, I'm scared. Please don't leave me, Ace. Ace, it hurts, so much. I'm burning, Ace. I just want this to end. Please."

"Don't leave me."

"I love you."

She was crying, soft, hot tears. "Ace, I'm scared."

Half of him wanted to run away, simply because it was the worst torture imaginable to stand watching as his Master died before him.

"Please don't leave me. Ace."

He could never leave her, not when she needed him. Not when she called out to him through the pain.

"Ace, it hurts so much. I'm burning, Ace."

If only it were he who was dying, not her. If only she didn't decide to sacrifice herself for the entire world.

He didn't care if the world burned, as long as the dying girl in his arms would be alright.

"I just want this to end. Please."

She was scared. She didn't want to go, but she also didn't want to spend her last minutes in agony. Little did he know, most of her pain came from seeing his pain as he watched her die.

"Don't leave me. Ace, I love you."

He loved her. He loved her more than his own life. He loved her to the ends of the universe, and now cruel fate was taking her away from him.

"Piper, we have to do something!"

Tears were pouring down Piper's face. "We can't. The energy will kill her, and there's nothing we can do."

"Can't she put it into some sort of crystal?" he asked, desperate.

"Making a crystal will only add to the energy in her body!" she snapped.

_In her body_, he thought. _Maybe not to a crystal, but…_ "Could she transfer the energy? To another body?"

Cyclonis was listening to their conversation. Now, she butted in. "I won't take that risk, Ace. What if you die too?"

"Do you really think I'd care to live if you were gone?" he growled.

Tears were still pouring, unstoppable, down her cheeks. Her resolve was wavering. Finally, she replied, "Kiss me, Ace."

Her lips were soft, and warm, oh-so-warm. Soon, they were burning his, but he didn't pull away. He couldn't, because he loved her.

The energy began to flow from her to him, across their locked mouths.

Agony. Pure agony. He was burning, like liquid fire was being poured into him. Still, he didn't flinch or pull away, just held his Master tighter.

The flames spread through his body, charring his insides. He didn't care. He kissed her harder, took the destructive energy into himself with a mad glee. Every blaze of suffering that raged through him, the inferno of pure pain, was a bit of relief for her. He was saving her life, at the price of his own. He would gladly make the trade.

Cool brown hands pulled him back. "She'll survive now, you're going to kill yourself!"

He felt dizzy. He felt the blackness closing in. His last though was, _I never got to tell her how much I loved her._

Plunk. A single drop fell on his nose. So there was rain, wherever this afterlife was. Plunk. Another drop, this one on his chapped lips, rolling down little crevices until it entered his mouth.

Salty rain. Strange. Somehow, it seemed familiar, but he couldn't make the connection.

With great effort, he opened his eyes, to see a pair of large violet ones wide with worry. Plunk. Again a drop fell from them, this one hitting his forehead.

His brain fired back to life, and he remembered everything. He closed his eyes in a panic. _What happened? Did she survive? Was I too late?_

He opened his eyes again, to see the worried violet orbs peering into his.

His Master. She was fine. That's all that mattered.

He was so tired, he needed to rest now. But there was something important he had to say.

What did he have to say? He was forgetting. The blackness was coming again. What did he need to say?

Suddenly, he remembered. "Lark, I love you," he whispered in a sore, raspy voice.

Then he sank into the cool, healing rest of a dreamless sleep.

Cyclonis stared down at the Dark Ace. So many times he had risked his life, and nearly died to save her. She felt another wave of gratitude.

She was in love, completely and utterly in love, and she didn't care to deny it any more. She was done pretending otherwise. She loved him, and she wasn't going to hide it.

She stifled a yawn. She was in better shape than him because her body had dealt with extra energy before, but not much. What she really needed now was to sleep.

Why not? She had already decided that she wasn't embarrassed, and she had been close enough to losing him already. She never wanted to let him go.

She climbed up into the bed next to him, giving him a hug. Even though he was asleep, he began to smile. She snuggled closer on top of him, then laid her head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. With its soothing throb in her ear, she too drifted off to sleep.

"Aerrow, you have to come see this!"

"What is it, Piper?"

"Shh!"

"Oh my gosh! So cute. Where's Finn? Finn!"

"Stork, Junko, you've got to come see this!"

"Yeah, Piper? Aw, it's adorable. Hey, Stork, you agree with me, it's so cute, right?"

"Sure, fine, it's cute, I still say we're doomed."

"Finn!"

"What?"

"What are you doing in Starling's room?"

"He was looking at my collection of band posters. I don't only listen to the Beatles, you know."

"Well, you guys have to some see this!"

"This better not be some new crystal—oh my god, you got me blackmail material! Radarr, get the camera."

"I finally understand what you meant about Cyclonian SnuggleBunnies, Piper. This…is…hilarious!"

"So cute, isn't it?"

The Storm Hawks were all ogling at the two Cyclonians, both fast asleep, still in their battle armor, hugging each other tightly. Their faces were both covered in the same peaceful smile.

"Soooo cute."

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Okay, that's basically the end, next chapter is the epilogue….

Evil author time: did anyone think that I would kill of Dark Ace with an overload of energy? Come on now, admit it!

So in the end, none of the main characters died. I'm just too softhearted. Oh, well. Plus, that would have made the sequel a bit awkward.

Yes, I did say sequel. I officially promise that there will be one! You'll get a hint of what it's about as soon as I get the Epilogue up. I'll even tell you what the title will be…now, all I have to do is come up with a title…

So what do you think? It's basically the end. Review! Review! Review!


	35. Epilogue

Author's Note: Well, this is it! The official last chapter, although everything important has already happened. This is where you'll get a hint about what will happen in the next story, and the final threads will be wrapped up.

Thanks to Pascy, Tege, Zapwing, Bergie, Hawk-Masters, Love Shall Never Die, and Helliexx for reviewing last chapter. I'm so glad you liked it!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks

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Piper stood with Cyclonis in her bedroom, helping her pack the last of her stuff. The Dark Ace had already taken her first two suitcases out to his skimmer.

"I'm just so sad you have to go," Piper said. "At least we won't go back to being enemies, now that this shadow war is over."

"Over?" Cyclonis scoffed. "You're my best friend ever, but sometimes you surprise me at how naïve you can be, Piper. The war isn't over. I bought you maybe a month's time to finish setting up shields at every Terra. The war is just beginning."

Piper's mouth dropped open. "What do you mean? You killed all the shadows."

"All the shadows that were in Atmos at the time. Think of how many universes that there could be, how many the shadows could have drained of life. We have no idea how many there are, but I know there are more. The portal is still open."

Piper's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?" she asked.

Cyclonis was very sure. She could _feel_ the presence of more shadows out there, she could _feel_ their hunger.

"I am sure," she said.

"Then why are you leaving?" Piper wondered, grasping at straws.

"My people need me, and if we're going to win this war it will help to have the full power of the Cyclonian empire backing you up. Don't worry, Piper, we will see each other again, I promise." She gave her friend a sad smile, and a quick hug.

"What are we going to do?" Piper pleaded. "How are we going to fight off the shadows without you?"

"I have a couple of ideas involving Leecher crystals," Cyclonis said. "And the shadows won't be back immediately. They'll be more careful this time. All the Terras will be safe by the time they return. You'll be fine."

Cyclonis looked around the room once more, but it was bare. It was time for her to leave, for now. "Goodbye, Piper," she said sadly. "I'm not one for 'Farewells,' so I'm going to get out of here before I lose it completely and start crying. Give the Storm Hawks my love."

Piper nodded, not trusting herself to speak without sobbing, and waved her best friend goodbye once more, then Cyclonis walked to the hanger bay alone. The Dark Ace waited there on his skimmer. Together, they flew off into the sunset.

Yes, they would miss the Storm Hawks, but they were needed elsewhere. However, they would never forget the lessons they had learned on board the Condor.

The shadow war wasn't over; no, it was just beginning. The shadows may have had superior numbers, or be nearly invincible, but against all odds, the Storm Hawks and their Cyclonian friends had managed to survive the first wave of attacks. Now, they were ready, the Terras were protected, and they had some idea how to kill the shadows. Now, Atmos was united against this evil, and they were determined to survive.

The Cyclonians may have said "Goodbye," but truly, it was only a "see you later." The Shadow War was only just beginning, and Cyclonis had a feeling that so were her adventures with the Storm Hawks.

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Okay, about the sequel: the name will be "The Shadow War," and I will state in the summary it is the sequel to "The Same Team." I'm not sure how quickly it will come out—I have three other stories going. Hey, if any of you want to check them out:

Prisoner-written from Starling's POV. She's captured by Cyclonia, and it's what happens to her there. A lot of action, DA/S as it progresses.

Perfect Attunement-my fluff story. All fluff! Dark Ace and Cyclonis meet up on the Far Side, and they are willing to do anything to take down the Storm Hawks. However, to beat Aerrow and Piper, they need to reach Perfect Attunement, and to reach Perfect Attunement, one needs to be perfectly in love. So, it's basically Cyclonis and Dark Ace _trying_ to fall in love—funny, cute fluff!

Being Cyclonis-a random idea that came into my head. A teenage girl is kidnapped from earth by the Dark Ace because of her natural crystal skills, and the old Master Cyclonis is dying. Basically, goes through all the episodes (and some fluff in between) showing what would happen if Master Cyclonis was good.

Okay, now I feel kind of guilty because I used my after-note to advertise my other stories. But those are what I'm working on, and I'll probably just work on them for a bit before I post "The Shadow War." So, um, don't expect this sequel for a week. (I know, it's not that long, but I usually post every day, so it's practically forever for me!)

Thank you all so much! And no, Cyclonis didn't kill your shadows (some of you were worried, I think) because they weren't in the Atmos. Thanks again, and until the sequel!!

~Kitty


	36. WEB COMIC!

Author's Note:

Hey, sorry to bother you all! The Same Team is done, and I'm well into the sequel. However, I had the smart idea to turn it into a web-comic (don't ask me how I have the time, because I don't). Chapter One is up, and I thought I'd put the link in case you're interested! (oh, instead of putting "." I put "(dot)" Just replace them!)

http://smartkitty314(dot)deviantart(dot)com/gallery/#The-Same-Team

Thank you so much again for reading and reviewing. It's been really fun!

~Kitty


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